


Be Happy Sister

by sonicgirl313



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Genderbending, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 130,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicgirl313/pseuds/sonicgirl313
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Descole didn't have a brother? What if he had a sister instead? Read the story of Herminia Layton from her origins, to her becoming a professor, and her adventures with Luke Triton. This story briefly covers the Professor Layton Prequel Trilogy and movie, but the story diverges a lot from the main games storyline. This story is also only a Partial Gendbent story meaning only certain characters genders have been changed while the rest stay the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adoption

Be Happy Sister

Chapter 1

The midnight wind blew peacefully on a lone house where two children live alone. Their parents were taken by a group called Targent who were taking any archeologist or scientist that had knowledge on the mysterious ancient race known as the Azran. The oldest child was a boy named Hershel. He was a brown-haired boy with light brown eyes that at first glance one would think they were crimson, wearing an orange vest, green pants, a red bow tie, and black shoes. He firmly held a flashlight over one of his father's book about the Azran. He wanted revenge on the very thing that had taken his parents but that meant he would have to learn everything about Azran in order to do so. He had kept reading until he heard sobbing from upstairs. Knowing it was his younger sibling he didn't waste anytime dropping the book and quickly dashed upstairs.

Once there he was greeted with the sight of a little light-brown haired girl around the age of five. She was sitting up in her bed in a white night gown. She frantically rubbed her hand across her face to clean away the tears spilling forth from her dark brown eyes that almost looked black.  
Hershel frowned at the sight of the sobbing girl as he slowly walked over to her bed. When he sat down next to her the girl instantly darted her head up, her face now facing his.

"Oh, Hershel!" she sobbed.

The girl threw her arms around the boy and buried her face in his chest.  
Hershel began stroking her back, not even bothered that her tears were staining his vest.

"Shh, it's alright, Thelina. It was only another nightmare." he comforted her.

Thelina lifted her head up and sniffed her nose a few times that had become stuffy from her constant crying.

"Th-they took you in my nightmare. I dreamt those bad people took you like they did mommy and daddy." she replied in a shaky voice.

Hershel was not surprised by this confession. He knew his sister was far too young to have such a tragedy happen. He hated Targent for them putting his little sister through such a horrifying experience. He wanted his sister to be happy, not in the constant fear of the corrupted group that stole her happiness. Hershel tightened his grip slightly around Thelina as that fateful night's events played in his mind. He could remember the pounding on the door while his mother had begged for him to keep his sister safe. He remembered Thelina screaming and crying as he pulled her into the kitchen cupboard with him when the Targent men had broken down the door. He had shielded his sister's sight from the horrific scene but as for him he could see from the small crack from the partially closed cupboard door. He saw how the men had seized his father who was struggling to get free. His father had only given up when one of the Targent men had knocked his mother to the floor by grabbing ahold of her leg when she tried to run, causing her head to get a bad bleeding wound when it slammed against the floor and render her unconscious.

"Hershel?" Thelina whispered in a small voice, awakening her brother from his thoughts, "I'm too scared to go back to sleep. Can you please stay with me?"

Hershel laid his hand on top of the young girl's brown hair as he gave a weak smile and nodded.  
Thelina instantly laid her body over to the side, making sure her head was resting in her brother's lap. The presence of her brother next to her began comforting her shaken nerves. She could feel Hershel rubbing his hand along her arm to help lull her to sleep.

As her eyelids began to droop she said "Don't ever go away Hershel. I want to always be with you."

Hershel remained silent when his sister had fallen to sleep. He saw how peaceful she looked compared to how she was moments ago. He wanted nothing more than for his sister to be happy and freed from the tragic life they both live. He leaned his head back against the headboard as he noticed how tired he was himself. He glanced down at Thelina to see her wrapping her arms around his torso and snuggling her head against him. Hershel couldn't help but smile at this sight before he leaned his head back and slipped into slumber. It was the rare moments of peace that he cherished with his sister and he would do anything to make sure she could keep those moments forever.

The next morning Hershel was startled a bit when he heard loud knocking coming from the front door. He noticed the sound was also making his little sister stir as well.  
Before Thelina could fully wake up, her older brother hushed her and told her to go back to sleep. She was worried at this response, having grown frightened of the sound of knocking ever since their parents' abduction. But due to the lack of sleep she got last night she found herself too sleepy to object. With a small yawn she allowed herself to slip into slumber once more.  
Hershel gently slipped Thelina's head off of his lap before getting off of the bed. He cautiously made his way down stairs, not sure if Targent had come back for them. He bit his lip nervously as he reached the front door, mulling over whether he should open the door or not. Finally after thinking about it for a few seconds, Hershel took a deep breath and gathered up his courage before opening up the door.

His eyes squeezed shut when the morning sunlight temporarily blinded him, preventing him from seeing who was in front of them. At that moment he heard the sound of paper flapping a bit next to him. He opened his brown eyes and they were able to adjust enough to now see the person before him was a mailman holding out a letter for him.

"Delivery for the Bronev family." the mailman proclaimed.

Slightly a bit uneasy, Hershel took the letter and much to his relief the mailman left after that. As he closed the door he examined the enveloped in his hands. Hershel's eyes widened in shock; the letter was from the adoption agency. He quickly ripped open the envelope, remembering how shortly after their parents had been kidnapped, the police had put him and his sister up for adoption. A small spark of happiness raced through his heart as he read through the first part of the later, reading about how a nice family called the Laytons were willing to adopt. But that happiness quickly faded when he learned a horrifying discovery; the Layton family had only adopted one of them and it was him. Hershel's face was pale as he slumped to the floor; he couldn't stand the thought of leaving his sister alone.

"Why? Why does fate have to be so cruel?" Hershel said in a shaky voice as he crumpled the letter slightly in his hand.

He fought back against the tears that threatened to come forth from his eyes. He wanted Thelina to have happiness, not more misery. He glanced down at the adoption papers once again but at that moment he noticed something. While the papers specified his name, they did not show gender or age, meaning the Laytons didn't know which one of them was Hershel.

"If they don't know that..." Hershel started as an idea formed in his mind.

In a instant his face lit up in happiness, there was a way he could insure his sister happiness. He had the power to free her from the chains of misery Targent had placed on her. Not wanting to waste a second, knowing the Laytons would come by that very day, Hershel dashed up the stairs.

"Thelina, wake up I got great news!" he proclaimed as he shook her a bit.

The little girl let out a sleepy yawn as she sat up in her bed.

"What is it, Hershel?" she asked while rubbing the sleep out of one of her eyes.

"The adoption papers came in, there will be a nice family coming by known as the Laytons. I need you to get dressed and pack your things." he said with a smile.

Thelina crawled out of her bed, still very tired. The idea that someone had came to get her and her brother to raise them was very strange. She wasn't sure how she could consider them family, after all she still remembered her parents. She looked over at her older brother, seeing him pick out a orange blouse, a gray suit jacket, and a black skirt for her to wear. She figured her brother wanted her to look presentable when the adoptive family would arrive. She had went in the bathroom, changing out of her nightgown into the set of clothes Hershel had given her along with white stockings, and green shoes. Thelina came out of the bathroom; the only thing left for her to do was to brush her hair to make it presentable as well.

When she was getting her brush, she noticed that her older brother was only packing her things and none of his things. She walked up to him with a confused and worried expression.

"Hershel, why aren't you packing? You're coming with me right?" she asked with a slight frown.

The young boy couldn't prevent the sad sigh that escaped his mouth. He knew he would had to explain to his little sister sooner or later what was going to happen. Without a word he sat down on the bed and patted his hand on the empty space next to him.  
Knowing that meant her brother wanted her to sit next to him, Thelina climbed up on the bed and sat down next to him.  
Silently Hershel took the hairbrush from his sister and began brushing her hair.

"Thelina, about the adoption..." he started in a nervous tone, "The Laytons could only adopt one of us."

He felt the young girl's body stiffen instantly out of fear.

"They want to adopt me." Hershel continued, "But that would mean leaving you here alone and I can't do that to you. Luckily for us, the Laytons don't know which one of us is named Hershel. So this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to tell them that the papers had the wrong name, the name is actually Herminia. That will be the name you will take, Thelina."

His younger sister instantly gasped in horror and quickly spun around to face to him. Tears were already forming in her eyes.

"No, I don't want to go! I won't go without you!" she cried.

Hershel tried to explain to her his reasons for his actions but he was only met with sobbing from his little sister.  
She clung onto her brother tightly as she cried, first she lost her parents and now she was going to lose her brother. Her hug didn't last long much to her displeasure. She let out a few quiet sobs as her brother gently pushed her away and got off of the bed.

"Come on now, it won't be long before the Laytons arrive. Let's finish packing up your things." he said as he went back to packing her clothes.

Thelina wiped away the tears from her eyes, despite still not wanting to go she went ahead and helped her brother pack her things.  
Hershel at times glanced at his little sister, noticing the constant frown painted on her face. He wanted her to understand that she would be happier with a family to take care of her. After gathering all of her things and placing them in her suitcase, Hershel carried it downstairs with his sister trailing behind him.

As he locked up the suitcase he heard his sister whimper "Please don't send me away, Hershel. I want to stay with you.

Hershel shook his head as he replied "You can't call be by that name anymore. It must now be apart of your name Herminia."

His little sister let out a small gasp upon hearing her brother address her by that name. She didn't want to be known as Herminia; she wanted to remain Thelina and stay with her brother. Before she could say anything else there was knocking at the door. Thelina, now known as Herminia lowered her head in sadness, knowing no matter what she couldn't change her brother's mind.  
Herminia's brother kneeled down next to her and placed his on her shoulder.

"Don't be sad, Herminia. I'll always be watching over you." he said with the best smile he could make.

The brown-haired girl lifted her head up, revealing the small tears forming in her eyes.  
Hershel took his free hand and wiped away the tears from his sister's eyes. Without another word he took her by the hand, walked over to the front door and opened it up. The open door revealed a married couple. One was a woman with blonde hair tied in a bun with brown eyes and she wore a long purple coat, along with black gloves and skirt, and brown boots. Her husband was a man with curly white hair and a long beard, wearing a black coat, brown pants, and gray shoes.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Layton." he greeted with a small smile.

Herminia grew slightly nervous from seeing the two adults and clung onto her brother's arm.

"Oh this here is my sister Herminia. The adoption agency had wrote the name Hershel on accident due to the name sounding a bit similar." Hershel said, hoping the Laytons bought his lie.

"Ah so this is the little darling." Mrs. Layton said with a smile.

Herminia stayed still as Mrs. Layton stroked her hair a bit. They seemed like nice people to her but she still felt uncomfortable leaving her brother.

"I'm sure my sister will be very happy with you. Things have been rough ever since our parents went... missing." Hershel said, taking a pause when he thought about what word he should use.

The young boy did his best to keep the bravest face he had while talking to the Laytons. He lied to them about how he was going to taken care by a family known as the Phibs when in truth he was actually going to be living alone and continue his studies on the Azran.

"I really wish we could adopt both of you." Mrs. Layton said, "I feel terrible for separating your sister from you."

The young boy could feel his sister tighten her grip on his arm. He smiled as he patted her on the back to silently tell her that everything would be alright. After Mr. Layton had promised that he and his wife would take good care of Herminia the two siblings knew it was time to say their goodbyes. As Mr. Layton put Herminia's suitcase in the trunk, Hershel gently slipped his arm out of his little sister's grip.  
The young girl clung onto her brother's hand with a pleading look only to receive a brave smile from him. Mrs. Layton had taken Herminia by her free hand and began guiding her to the car. The brown-haired girl clung onto her brother's hand for as long as she could before it finally slipped from her grasp. She continued to stare back at her brother for as long as she could as she was placed in the car.

Once she was in the car the brave smile on Hershel's face finally faded. His sister was gone now and he would never consider himself Hershel again. He watched as the Layton's car drove off in the distance.

With a sigh he whispered to himself "Be happy sister. This is the beginning of your life as Herminia Layton."

In the car Herminia stared sadly down at her feet that dangled off of the edge of the car seat. She had to get use to the married couple she now would have to consider her parents. She mulled over her new name known as Herminia Layton. She didn't why but she did find the name had quite a nice ring to it.  
Mr. Layton glanced up at his rearview mirror and saw how sad the little girl looked. It made him a bit saddened to see his new daughter in such a state. That was when he got an idea.

"Say, Herminia, what do you think of puzzles?" he asked with a smile.

The brown-haired girl instantly lifted her head in interest.

"Well I never really did many but I think I've seen my mommy do a few." she replied.

"Ah well how about I give you a little puzzle to solve?" he suggested, "I am quite the puzzle fan myself."

Herminia placed her hand against her chin. She thought about how the puzzle could be fun and it could help take her mind off of her brother. With that she agreed to give the puzzle a try.  
Mr. Layton was amazed at how many puzzles the girl was able to solve in just an hour. He was very impressed at the knack the young girl had at solving puzzles. It was almost like she was a natural at it.  
Herminia loved solving the puzzles as well; it gave her mind a good exercise. There were sometimes she would get a bit stumped with riddle puzzles or math puzzles but in the end she managed to shine through. She had been spending so much solving puzzles she hadn't even noticed that they had already arrived at their destination. Her brown eyes glanced around at the new surroundings that would now be her home.

"Welcome sweetie to the town of Stansbury." Mrs. Layton said with a smile.


	2. Stansbury

Chapter 2

Three years had now passed since the Laytons brought home their adopted daughter Herminia. She was now eight years-old and grown quite a bit. Her hair had grown to shoulder length now and had quite many curls. She walked with hum as she left her room, now wearing a red sweater, a white skirt, and black boots. She had been living a very happy and peaceful life. But unfortunately due to her being so young when she was adopted, the memories of her old life had began to fade. While she had struggled to remember what her parents looked like, she still had a clear image of what her older brother looked like. Herminia entered the dining room, smiling when she was greeted with the sight of her parents Roland Layton and Lucille Layton.

"Good morning Ma and Pa." the brown-headed girl said as she took her seat at the table.

"Ah, Herminia, glad to see you bright-eyed and awake. Say do you care to help me with this crossword puzzle?" Roland suggested.

Herminia shook her head and answered "Sorry, Pa. I'm going to meet my friends after breakfast."

Her father only nodded in understanding before returning to work on the puzzle.  
Herminia licked her lips a bit when she saw her mother place a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a English muffin before her. She didn't waste any time to dig into her breakfast. She had always loved her mother's cooking; she even loved it to the point that Lucille had to remind her that eating too much would cause her to gain weight. Once she had finished her plate Herminia gently pushed the plate away and got up from the table.

"I will be back soon. Bye Ma and Pa!" she called back as she walked out of the front door.

Later that day Herminia let out a deep sigh as she continued waiting for her friends. They had promised to meet her at the lake but so far there was no sign of them. The brown-headed girl let out a frustrated groan, figuring she must had shown up early for the meeting place. She was about to get up and leave until she heard rustling in the tree next to her. With a raised brow she carefully approached the tree. The leaves rustled a bit more but the young girl saw no sign of anyone. She squinted her eyes, wanting to make sure there was no one there. That was when she spotted a dark silhouette hiding among the branches, causing her to gasp in surprise.  
The figure in the tree was startled that the girl had spotted him and tried to leave.

But before he could make a run for it Herminia called out "Wait, I mean you no harm!"

The figure stopped and faced toward the young girl.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." the brown-haired girl began to apologize, "I was just surprised to see you. That's all, no need to run."

The figure paused for a moment, taking the pause to think. Finally without a word he moved closer where Herminia could see him but still made sure the leaves and branches concealed his eyes from the girl.  
Herminia was able to now see the figure was a boy around his early teens wearing a black jacket, white pants, and gray shoes.

"You seem to have very keen eyes there." the teenage boy remarked.

"Well I kind of picked it up from my Pa after solving all those puzzles with him." Herminia admitted while rubbing the sole of her heel a bit into the ground, "Say what's your name anyway?"

The teenager remained silent for a moment as he placed his hand against his chin in thought before finally answering "Jean Descole."

Herminia was a bit surprised by this name, it struck a familiar cord with her. She could have sworn she remembered that name from a book that was read to her when she was younger but due to her memory being so fuzzy she wasn't able to place her finger on it. As she examined the one now known as Descole, she thought about how he would be around the same age of her brother at the time.

"Say why won't you reveal your face to me?" she asked.

Descole let out a small chuckle as a smile formed on his face.

"You love puzzles, why don't you figure that out yourself?" he suggested.

Herminia didn't have to be a genius to know that Descole wanted to keep his face hidden but for what reason she did not know. Still she couldn't shake the feeling that Descole seemed familiar to her. But before she could continue her thought process she heard someone call out for her. She turned around to see her friend Randall Ascot who was a red-headed boy wearing glasses, a lavender shirt with a blue shorts and gray shoes.

"Herminia, what are you doing here? Didn't you get the call at your house that we had changed the location of our meeting spot to my house?" he asked.

The brown-haired girl instantly stiffened at this and let a nervous smile form on her face. She figured that Randall must have called her house after she had left due to how early she had left her home to make sure she met up on time.

"Who were you talking to anyway?" Randall asked as he looked around the area with confusion.

"I was..." Herminia started but she immediately stopped her sentence when she saw Descole was gone.

A small frown formed on her face as she looked around the lake, wondering where the mysterious teenager had gone too. With a sigh she decided to brush off the thought and walk away with Randall.  
Once Herminia was gone Descole came out from his new hiding place which was behind the tree trunk of the same tree he was hiding in. He had hidden there while the brown-haired girl was too preoccupied talking to Randall. He was very surprised Herminia wasn't able to spot him again given the fact that she had very keen eyes from what he learned. He just was glad they weren't keen enough to realize he was her brother.

"You've grown quite a bit since last I saw you sister." Descole muttered to himself.

For those three pasts years while he made much progress on his studies with the Azran, he still couldn't get his sister off of his mind. It drove him to the point of insanity wondering if she was alright; if she was being treated well. So he had decided to finally go to Stansbury to check on his little sister; of course he had never intended for her to spot him. It had made him happy to see she was doing well but he was not satisfied by only checking on her just once. He planned to check on her many times in the future.

Back with Herminia she groaned with her head leaning on her hand while she sat in one of the chairs in Randall's room. Randall had brought her and Angela who was a blonde-haired girl wearing a white jacket with puffy sleeves, a red skirt, and blue shoes to his house to discuss what she considered the most boring and uninteresting topic on earth and that was archeology.

"I heard on the news some archeologists had stumbled upon these ancients ruins. By the looks of the ruins they look like the ruins that once belonged to an ancient civilization known as the Azran!" Randall exclaimed.

He grabbed one of his books and flipped it open to the pages that talked a bit about the Azran. Due to little being known about the ancient civilization, the history books didn't have much information on the subject.  
Herminia barely gave the book a glance; she had expected her, Angela, and Randall would be doing something fun together. She hadn't expected him to talk about a civilization that she considered nothing more than a silly fairytale.  
Randall was able to catch onto the brown-headed girl's boredom and grew frustrated at this fact; he always hated that Herminia found archeology boring.

"You know, Herminia, the least you could do is pay attention." he said in a slight bitter tone as he slapped closed his book.

The sudden sound from the book being slapped closed startled Herminia that she ended up slipping out of her chair and falling to the ground with a thud.  
Angela couldn't help but laugh at this sight. She found it especially hilarious since it made Herminia appear unladylike.  
The brown-headed girl ended up groaning as she got on hands and knees before pulling herself back in the chair.

"I'm sorry, Randall, but it's so hard to pay attention to such a boring topic." Herminia began to explain as she straightened out her white skirt, "I just don't find archeology that interesting. It's just basically people digging up old and dusty bones, nothing really extraordinary about that."

"Uh oh." Anglea muttered to herself when she Randall's face turn blood red in frustration.

She had knew Herminia had struck a nerve when she had said archeology wasn't extraordinary. Next thing she knew Randall had entered a full on rant with Herminia about how archeology was more than just digging up old and dusty bones.  
Herminia was so surprised by this sudden rant that everytime Randall's voice got louder she had leaned back farther in her chair. Luckily to her relief Randall got tired of yelling after a few minutes of yelling. But she wasn't ready for what Randall had in plan for her.

"If I can't make you understand archeology through speeches then I have no choice. For now on, Herminia, you're coming on expeditions with me!" he said.

"What?!" Herminia exclaimed as once again she accidentally fell out of her chair from the shock.

With a smug smile and his arms crossed Randall replied "You heard me. No matter what you will have to come on my expeditions which may I remind you I go on pretty often."

Herminia scampered to her feet as quickly as possible upon hearing this. The only thing she considered worse than having to listen to a boring topic is having to participate in the boring activity.

"No, there's no way you'll make me attend such nonsense!" she said before crossing her arms and turning her back toward Randall.

"Oh then should I tell our teacher how you snuck around his things and solved the puzzle he had hidden when he had stated he had wanted to solve it himself?" Randall replied with his voice dripping with slyness.

At that moment Herminia's face turned blood red. It had dawned on her immediately that Randall was going to make her participate his expeditions through blackmail. She was infuriated that he would do such a despicable act just to insure she would do the activity. Herminia didn't bother holding back the grumbling that escaped her mouth as she shook the red-headed boy's hand, sealing the agreement.

"Now I wish Randall hadn't spotted me solving that puzzle." she bitterly thought to herself.

Once the meeting was over with Angela and her decided it was time to go their homes seeing how dark it was getting. Randall had chosen to escort Angela to her house, leaving Herminia to travel home alone. Walking alone down the dark streets made the young girl feel a bit uneasy. She had never walked around Stansbury at such a late hour and knew her parents would be very worried if she didn't return home soon. But before she could walk any further she began to feel she was being followed. Glancing behind her she managed to spot two men wearing black coats, pants, shoes, hats, and sunglasses were following her. Herminia bit her lip and hastened her steps only to see the mysterious men in black coats do the same.

Seeing her fears were confirmed Hermina ran into a full sprint, causing the men in black coats to do the same. She panted hard as she ran as fast as she could, trying to outrun her pursuers. Unfortunately it wasn't good enough; one of the men managed to grab the girl by the arm. Herminia let out a scream of fear as she was yanked back and thrown to the ground. She sat up panting and began to crawl backwards away from the mysterious men. Her hand managed to feel around on the ground till it landed on a large branch. Not wasting any second she firmly grabbed ahold of the branch and jumped up on her feet.

"Get away from me!" she yelled as she swung the branch managed to slam it against one of the men's stomachs.

The man who was hit groaned as he held his stomach while the other one snarled in anger. When Herminia tried to swing the branch again, the uninjured man managed to grab it and yank Herminia toward him. When she tried to kick him to get away, she was met with a slap across the face that knocked her to the ground. The brown-haired girl groaned in pain, her face stinging where it had been slapped and blood trickling down her chin from her lip. Her brown eyes stared up in fear at the two men coming for her.

Before one of the men could even lay a hand on the young girl, a teenage boy kicked one of the men in the back, knocking him to the ground.  
Herminia gasped in shock when she recognized the teenager to be Descole. She frowned a bit when she saw once again Descole had made sure she couldn't see his eyes by wearing a black newspaper boy cap the hung so low it kept his eyes hidden in shadows.  
The man who was knocked down snarled while he got up, prompting Descole to unsheathe his rapier.  
The two men in black picked up some small pipes laying nearby and charged at the teenager.

Herminia watched in amazement as Descole managed to block each of the swings the men in black coats directed toward him with his rapier. When one of the men tried to smash the pipe into Descole's stomach, the teenager was able to jump up and kick the man in the face, knocking him out in the process. Once Descole landed on the ground again he quickly spun around to block the remaining man's attack. Keeping a firm grip on the handle of his weapon, Descole managed to disarm the man in the black coat by twisting his rapier to cause the man to lose his grip on the pipe. Once he saw the man in the black coat was defenseless, the teenager took his rapier and stabbed it through the man's arm. The man screamed out in pain as he collapsed on the ground.

Descole snarled as he pulled the sword out of the man's arm and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulling him up so they were face to face.

"Unless you wish for me to kill you I suggest you leave. Tell your boss not to dare come after this girl because I will kill any man who dares lay a hand on her." he threatened.

When the man rapidly nodded his head Descole let go of his collar and dropped the man. The two injured men quickly scampered to their feet and fled the scene. Once they were out of sight Descole turned toward the brown-headed girl who was still shocked at the scene that had played out before her.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he held out his hand for Herminia.

"I think so." she replied as she took his hand, allowing him to help her up.

Once they were face to face Descole had his hands firmly ahold of Herminia's shoulders, allowing him to get a good look at her face. He froze for a second when he saw the large red slap mark and badly bleeding lip on his sister's face. He clenched his teeth in anger and his grip on the girl's shoulders tightened.

"They had hurt you! I should have killed them for that!" he snarled under his breath.

Herminia was extremely confused by Descole's actions; she didn't understand why a person she had just met was so protective over her. She had wished his hat wasn't shadowing his eyes so she could get an idea what his face looked like.

Unsure what to say the girl struggled to say "Well umm... I'm alright now because of you... these are... er... only minor injuries."

Descole did not reply to Herminia's comment. Instead he dug around one of his pockets and managed to pull out a handkerchief. Using it he started cleaning up his sister's lip much to her shock. He didn't care if it was only a minor injury; he knew those men in the black coats were from Targent. When he saw they were after Herminia and was enraged when learning this. He had already lost his parents to Targent; he refused to let them take his sister as well. He knew exactly why the men were after her; he knew it was because the new boss of Targent wanted her. But he had no intention of telling Herminia this; he wanted her to remain in her blissful ignorance that way she could continue living a happy life.

Once he finished cleaning her wound he placed the handkerchief back in his pocket.

"You should be getting home now. Your parents are probably very worried about you." he said as he turned his back toward her.

He began to walk away but he stopped in his tracks when he heard his sister call out "Wait!"

He turned around to face her to she had her hand reached out toward him.  
Herminia lowered her hand and took in a deep breath.

"The least I can do is tell my name to the person who had helped me. My name is Herminia. Herminia Layton." she said with a smile.

Descole formed a small smirk on his face. He had already known her name since he was her brother but he still found the moment nice that she was kind enough to introduce herself.

Playing along to make sure he didn't give away his identity he replied "Layton, huh? Well then I guess this is farewell, Layton."

With that said he walked away from the girl, disappearing in the darkness of the night.  
Herminia had a brow raised in confusion. She felt odd when Descole had addressed by her last name rather than her first name; to her it seemed Descole purposely used her last name to avoid making it seem like he wanted to get close to her. Before she could ponder on it more she had remembered how she was supposed to get home. Taking one last glance at the path the mysterious teenage boy had vanished on, Herminia turned around and continued her journey back to her home, left to wander about the mystery surrounding Descole.


	3. Song of the Sea

Chapter 3

"Herminia, what happened?" Lucille exclaimed in horror when she saw her daughter finally come home but with a busted lip and a large red mark on the side of her face that had swollen slightly.

"I just ran into trouble. Don't worry Ma I'm fine." Herminia partially lied.

She had a feeling that Descole really didn't want other people to know about him. Herminia didn't object when her mother had her sit down on the couch before she dashed off into the kitchen. The events with Descole kept playing over and over in her mind like a broken record. She knew there had to be some connection with the mysterious teenager and the men in the black coats who ambushed her but for now it would be a puzzle unsolved for her due to not having all of the pieces. She was awaken from her thoughts when she saw her mother come back into the living room with a bag of ice.

"Here sweetie, just rest for a while with this ice on your face. It should help the swelling go down." Lucille said.

Herminia nodded her head before taking the ice bag from her mother's hands and laying down on the couch. When she pressed the bag against her skin, she clenched her teeth a bit when she felt it sting badly but fortunately for her the ice shortly began to soothe the stinging. She took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a moment. It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep.

_Herminia opened her eyes and looked around the room she was in. It was an old bedroom that seemed oddly familiar to her. Before she could piece together where she had seen the room before she heard loud banging. A pang of fear shot through her heart, hearing the sound coming from downstairs. Despite the bad feeling that began to loom in her head she traveled down the stairs to investigate. There before her eyes she saw more men that were wearing the very same clothes that the two men that had pursued her did. She saw the men were in a struggle with a light-haired man while another was chasing after a brown-headed woman. Herminia's breath hitched in her throat when she saw the woman looked very similar to her._

_At that moment she heard a loud scream. She directed her direction to the sound and saw a little boy and girl huddled together in fear. Herminia wasn't able to see neither of the children's face; yet she felt like she knew them. At that moment one of the men in black coats grabbed the boy. The little girl began screaming and crying for him. Without thinking Herminia quickly charged toward the man. She didn't want those terrible men to separate the two children. She grabbed the boy by the arm, causing him to face toward her. But before she could see his face she felt a bullet rip through her arm. She screamed in pain as she crumpled to the ground, watching helplessly as the boy was dragged away into darkness._

_Her brown eyes stared up to see the man in the black coat had his gun aimed straight at her forehead. She let out a gasp and widened her eyes in fear. She didn't have time to get away for the man had already pulled the trigger and the bullet had been fired._

Herminia sat up quickly, unleashing a loud scream. She heaved and panted as cold sweat dripped down her forehead. She tried to calm her rapidly beating heart when she took a look around at her surroundings. She saw she was in her bedroom and what she had experienced was only a nightmare. This prompted Herminia to let out a deep sigh relief just moments before her parents rushed in the room.

"Are you alright, Herminia? We both came as fast as we could when we heard you scream." Roland stated in a worried tone.

"I'm fine Ma and Pa." she replied with a slight shaky voice, "It was only a nightmare."

Lucille sat next to her daughter and worriedly stroked her back. She remembered that the brown-headed girl did have nightmares three years ago, around the time she was adopted. But she had been doing well at nights until now.

"How did I get in my bedroom anyway?" Herminia asked, finally deciding to break the silence.

"I saw you passed out on the couch so I carried you here." Roland answered, "Whatever caused you to get your face hurt took a lot of energy out of you."

The brown-headed girl lowered her head upon hearing this. Her struggle with the two mysterious pursuers did leave her both mentally and psychically exhausted. Meaning it would be harder to trying to convince everyone that her injuries weren't nothing to fuss about without revealing about Descole.

"Thank you Ma and Pa for checking up on me. I think I would like to try and get some rest again." Herminia said.

"Well if you need anything just call and we'll come check on you." Lucille said as she stroked her daughter's hair.

Herminia nodded, prompting her mother to give her a kiss on her uninjured cheek before standing back up. She gave one last smile toward her parent's before they closed the door and left her alone again. The young girl fell backwards on the bed with a tired groan, still feeling slightly shaken up over her nightmare. She flipped over on her side, staring at the streams of moonlight coming through her window. Doing her best to push the nightmare to the back of her mind, she slipped into slumber once more.

The next day Herminia was growing frustrated at her school. Children kept coming up to her and asking about her busted lip. She didn't want to go into detail about the event and wished everyone would brush it off as nothing. Unfortunately her wish wouldn't be answered because much to her annoyance her friend Randall spotted her and was able to notice the wound.

"Criminey, Herminia! What happened to you?" Randall exclaimed in shock.

The young girl let a frustrated growl escape her mouth before replying " You know this isn't the first time I came to school hurt. I don't see why everyone should make a fuss about it."

The red-headed boy adjusted his glasses in silence for a moment. Taking into consideration his friend's statement.

Finally he spoke up "Yeah but that was when someone saw you got hurt playing or doing other activities. With this injury everyone knew you were alright yesterday morning but now today you show up with a badly busted lip with no explanation for how it happened."

Much to Randall's disappoint he only got a grunt for a reply from his friend. Deciding not to press on about the subject Randall dropped the subject all together. He knew it wouldn't be wise for him to tread on Hermina's nerves, especially since he had already made her annoyed enough with him when he had blackmailed her.

"So are you ready to go check out those ruins I mentioned yesterday after school?" the red-headed boy asked.

Herminia flinched upon hearing these words, remembering her deal with Randall. Without saying any words she nodded her head. At that moment the bell began to ring, signifying for the children to get to their classes. Herminia was slightly happy to hear this because her next class was music. She waved toward Randall before the two friends parted their ways to go to their respective classes. Once the young girl made it to her class she saw that the teacher hadn't arrived yet and neither had the rest of the students.

"Well they'll be here soon. In the meantime..." Herminia began as she placed her bag down next to the piano.

She had always loved playing the piano so whenever she has time she would practice on it. Herminia sat down on the stool and adjusted her white skirt before turning her attention to the keys. She let her hands hover over the keys and took in a deep breath. With that done she began to play a short little melody. Herminia smiled as her fingers danced across the white keys, creating lovely music. Playing the piano had always cheered her up whenever she felt depressed. She kept playing until she heard clapping. She turned her head and gasped when she saw Descole sitting in the open windowsill applauding her.

"Descole, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

Descole only smirked, lowering his hat even more to make sure his eyes were hidden well in the shadows.

"I only came here when I heard such a lovely little melody. Much to my surprise it was coming from you, Layton." he replied.

Herminia frowned a bit when she was once again addressed by her last name. She didn't know why but her mind wanted the teenager to address her by her first name.  
Descole could see his sister was a bit depressed that he had once again addressed her as Layton. He didn't want to make her sad but he couldn't risk her finding out about his identity and he feared that addressing her by her first name would make himself seem to closely attached to her. Addressing her by her last name is what he believed would help his sister think he wants to be distant from her so that she would never find out the truth.

But even then Descole still felt a little sorry to see him depress his sister. Just then at that moment he remembered something.

"Do you want me to teach you a song you can play?" he suggested.

Herminia let out a yelp of surprise and shock when she heard this. Not sure what else to do she silently nodded her head.  
Descole jumped off of the windowsill and sat down next to the young girl. He made sure to keep his head tilted down enough to prevent Herminia from getting a glance at his face.

"The song I'm about to teach you is called 'The Song of the Sea'." he said.

While doing research on the Azran City known as Ambrosia; he learned about one of the songs used to reveal the city. While he was wanting to use the song himself, he saw no harm in teaching it to his sister. He figured she would never find out about the song's roots. Without a word he began playing the song for his sister.  
Herminia watched in amazement while memorizing every single key in the song. She found the Song of the Sea comforting to listen to and considered it a nice, sweet melody. Once Descole was finished he glanced at his sister who was still staring in amazement.

"Where ever did you learn that song?" Herminia asked.

"It's just a melody I know." he replied.

The brown-headed girl began to frown when she saw the teenager get up and headed back to the windowsill he had came from.

"Keep on playing the piano, you're quite good at it, Layton." he said without looking at his sister.

Once that was said, without another word he jumped up on the windowsill and leapt off on the other side, disappearing from sight.  
Herminia silently glanced down at the piano keys once more; her hand gently trailing down where the keys had once been played. With a small smile she began playing the exact same keys Descole had shown her. She closed her eyes for a moment as she listened to the little melody known as "The Song of the Sea."

Later that day, staying true to her promise Herminia met up with Randall so they both could explore the mysterious ruins. She let out a tired sigh as she kept a firm grip on the straps of her bag. She still did not like the idea of going to the ruins and only hoped someone would keep Randall from going since ancient ruins were no place for a couple of eight year-old children. But much to her displeasure, not only was there no one to stop them but the ruins were also nearby. The two children were easily able to reach the ruins since it was only a few miles from their town. When they had reached the ruins Randall awed in wonder. The ruins were composed of strange aqua colored walls the had mysterious markings on them.

As much as Herminia hated to admit the ruins had even caught her interest slightly the moment she laid her eyes on them. She land her hand on one of the markings on the wall, let out a yelp when she discovered they were cold to the touch. At that moment Herminia heard Randall call out her name, prompting her to look his direction.

"Check it out I found this tunnel!" Randall said, "Let's check it out."

Herminia settled her brown eyes on the dark tunnel that lay before Randall and nervously bit her lip.

"Oh I don't know, Randall." she said as she backed away slightly.

At that moment the red-headed boy said "Teacher, hidden puzzle." in a singing tone.

Herminia's face turned red once again when Randall was holding the blackmail over her once more. With an annoyed grunt she followed her friend into the dark tunnel. Fortunately for the both of them, the strange markings on the walls gave off a blue glow, giving them enough light to see where they were going. The two children looked around at the strange carvings that detailed about the ancient Azran legacy. But then much to Randall's disliking they had hit a dead end.

"Ah they must have not completely got the site a dug out yet." Randall grumbled.

With a sigh he begin to turn around and told Herminia how they should head back. But much to his surprise the young girl didn't move.  
Herminia placed her hand against her chin while she examined the carvings on the wall before her. The symbols were different from the other she had seen and she wanted to know why. She narrowed her eyes as she leaned closer to study the marking better.

All of sudden she gasped and exclaimed "It's a puzzle!"

Randall was speechless; he knew Herminia had keen eyes but he couldn't believe they were so keen to the point that she was able to spot something he couldn't.

"Really?" he asked as he leaned up close to the markings while adjusting his glasses.

Sure enough he saw his friend was right. The dead end they were at was actually a locked door, sealed closed by the puzzle before him. The only problem was he didn't have the first idea how to solve it.  
Herminia on the other hand studied each symbol closely. She saw symbols that looked like bow and arrows while other looked like hourglasses. That was when she noticed one symbol was different, the symbol of a messenger carrying a heart. Unsure what else to do she tapped the marking. Randall and Herminia both gasped in fear when the symbol glowed brightly and the tunnel began to shake. The wall in front of them moved away to reveal a large room.

Randall smiled at this progress and began shaking his friend by her arms.

"Herminia, you did it! You actually solved the puzzle!" he said with joy.

"Yes I did now, Randall, if you would kindly stop shaking me!" the young girl yelled in response.

The red-headed boy smiled nervously as he slowly let go of Herminia's arm and dusted her sleeve off a bit.  
Without a word the two children entered the room to see many brightly glowing symbols in front of them. On the ceiling it detailed a winged messenger with its arms outstretched. Below the messenger were three cities that were unfamiliar to the children.

"Randall, do you have any idea what those words say?" Herminia asked as she pointed at some ancient inscriptions.

Randall explained the inscriptions on the wall before shaking his head.

"Sorry I'm not that good at reading Azran dialect. But still this is a fantastic discovery we both stumbled upon." he replied.

Herminia nodded her head as Randall pulled out his book and began taking notes. Very silently she looked at the carved images of the messenger and cities. She didn't know why but a wave of dread washed over her when she stared at the image of the messenger, almost as if she had begun to enter dangerous waters. Not wanting to feel dread anymore she changed her attention to the cities.

"I can't believe it. Here I thought the Azran was a fairytale yet here's the proof before me." Herminia muttered under her breath.

Randall slapped his book closed and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder.

"See..." he began with a smile, " This is what I was talking about. Archeology isn't digging up old bones. It's about new discoveries. Finding things you've never thought would have existed!"

Herminia listened to these words carefully as she placed her hand over her chest, still amazed by the discovery Randall and her had made.

"You know, Herminia, you would probably make a great archeologist too." the red-headed boy smirked.

Upon hearing this the brown-headed girl shook her head rapidly, snapping herself back into reality.

"In your dreams, Randall. Archeology is still boring." she grumbled with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

Randall pushed his glasses up with one of his fingers while laughing to himself. He believed that while Herminia would still be saying she finds archeology boring at first, he still had many more expeditions to drag her on to convince her of changing her mind. After all he was convinced that with her puzzle solving skills she would make one of the greatest archeologists in England.


	4. Fencing

Chapter 4

"Herminia Layton, you madwoman slow down!" Randall yelled as his body bumped against the car door.

Nine years had passed since Randall dragged Herminia to the Azran ruins. The two of them were now seventeen years-old. Herminia now wore a white sweater with rolled up sleeves, green pants, brown boots, and a blue scarf tied around her neck. Her hair had grown to such a very long length that she simply had it tied back in a ponytail which always prompted her friend Angela to refer to it as a untamed bush. The teenage girl laughed at her worrying friend as she sped down the road in her father's car. Randall had made her go with him to explore some new ruins but much to his displeasure it was too far to walk to.

"Oh come on, Randall. You're always are eager to get to the dig sites. Besides this is kind of what you get for constantly dragging me along." she smirked.

Randall let out a frustrated sigh as he fixed his glasses where they would be sitting properly on his face once again. His wardrobe had also changed from when he was a child. He now wore a purple jacket with a lavender shirt that had a white stripe, an orange neckerchief, gray pants, and brown shoes.

"Honestly I will never understand how you managed to get your license." he muttered under his breath.

At that moment before he could react Herminia had hit the breaks. Randall grunted as his body lunged forward, fortunately to be held back by his seat belt.

"We're here!" she proclaimed as she unbuckled herself, "Now let's see what silly thing you want me to see this time."

The red-headed teenager rolled his eyes upon hearing his friend's remark. He couldn't believe that after nine years of taking her on constant expeditions, she still insists that archeology is a boring subject that she shouldn't give her attention to. Randall was still convinced that his friend would make a great archeologist; he just wished he could finally convince her of that. Without a word he got out of the car as well and grabbed his bag that contained his books and some archeological tools.  
Herminia placed her hands on her hips when she saw the site Randall had taken her to was a excavation sight that had pots, books, and many more old relics.

"I had to come here when I heard some archelogists had stumbled upon ancient relics of the Azran." Randall said in a proud tone.

"Again with the Azran?" Herminia asked with a dissatisfied groan, "Honestly everyone's been obsessing about this supposed ancient race even to the point Mr. Collins is starting to teach about it."

Upon hearing this Randall's body froze in shock. In an instant he spun around on his heel and jabbed his index finger toward the teenage girl.

"What are you talking about? You and I both found that Azran room in those ruins we explored when we were eight." he started but then frowned with his arms crossed as he continued, "Still wish we got credit for that discovery."

Herminia placed her hand on her forehead and shook her head. She thought Randall had already known that they couldn't had took credit for that discovery due to how young they were at the time. Finally deciding not to waste anymore time, Herminia began exploring the dig site with Randall, wanting to get back home soon so she could study. After all both she and Randall knew how strict their grumpy history teacher could be. The brown-headed teenage girl kept both of her hands stuffed in her pockets while she kicked around some pebbles as she walked. She didn't see magnificent marvels like her best friend, the only thing she saw was just old and broken things that got worn from age.

She was about to suggest for the two of them to go back until something shinning caught her eye. Taking her hands out of her pocket, Herminia knelt down on the ground to get a closer look. With a brow raised in interest she began dusting away the dirt surrounding the mysterious object. When the dirt was cleared she gasped at what she had found.

"Randall, come look at this!" she called out.

Without hesitation the red-headed teenager ran over as fast as he could.

Once he reached Hermina she turned toward him and revealed in her hands was a crystal dagger. Randall gasped in awe as he took the dagger from his friend's hands. Quickly he set his bag on the ground and got out one of his books. As he flipped through the pages his brows lowered in discouragement.

"None of my books have any details about this artefact." he said.

He let out a disappointed sigh as he slapped his book closed.  
Herminia felt a little sorry to see her friend get so discouraged as she watched him toss the crystal dagger to the ground. Her brown eyes stared down at the mysterious relic she had found, once again a wave of dread washed over her just like the time when she and Randall had discovered the room with the carvings of the Azran. At that moment she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the strange feeling.

"Oh come on, Randall, at least we found something. That's got to count for something right?" she said while giving him a pat on the back.

Randall glanced toward the smiling brown-haired teenager and couldn't help but smile himself.

"I suppose you're right, Herminia." he said.

The two teenagers got up off of the ground and dusted themselves off.

"Well now that's done let's head back to town." Herminia said before walking back to the car.

"Oh why can't she just spare me and let me drive?" Randall whimpered to himself as he followed her.

Once the two teenagers got in the car and drove off, a man from Targent came out from his hiding spot behind some rocks. He walked over to where the dagger had been thrown to the ground and picked it up. He looked around the area to make sure no one else was there before stuffing the dagger in his coat and leaving the dig site.

Later that day Herminia and Randall had made it back to Stansbury. Once the car had stopped, Randall tumbled out of the car, landing fast first on the ground. But he wasn't angry about this; in fact he was actually quite happy.

"Oh how I missed you ground!" he exclaimed.

"Oh come on! My driving is not that bad." Herminia yelled in a slight insulted tone.

But much to her annoyance the red-headed teenager had ignored her. She let out an annoyed grunt as she swung upon the door. But when she did that her body froze when she heard a loud bang and someone fall to the ground. She quickly got out of the car to see Henry who was a dirty-blonde-haired teenage boy who wore a green shirt, white pants with red suspenders, and brown shoes lying on the ground while holding his hand on top of his head.

"Henry, I'm so sorry!" Herminia instantly exclaimed as she slammed the car door close.

She kneeled down and offered her hand to the teenager only for him bitterly swat it away from him.

"Should of known it was you who hit me, Layton." he grumbled as he stood back up.

Hermina frowned in confusion as she stood up as well. She never understood why she never was on Henry's good side. He always acted wary and accusing around her much to her disliking. She knew that Henry was very capable of being nice, after all she had always seen him be very kind to Randall as his servant.  
Turning his attention away from the teenage girl, he directed his focus toward his master.

"Master Randall, I would like to inform that Angela is infuriated that you forgot about your lunch date." Henry said with a slight bow.

Randall clenched his teeth and grabbed his hair out of panic. He had forgotten all about how he promised he would have lunch with Angela.  
Herminia had to hold back her laughter as she watched her friend dash off. She was fully aware how Randall and Angela were dating and she had expected them to get together for years. Though her smile quickly faded when she saw the icy glare Henry gave her.

"Again, I'm really sorry about the whole car door thing." she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

The teenage boy let out a deep sigh before replying "Say no more, Layton. Say no more."

Herminia let her shoulders slump a bit as she watched Henry walk away.

_"Guess there's some puzzles I can never solve."_ she thought to herself.

Without a word Herminia began heading for the school. Lately while alongside taking piano, Herminia had lately gained an interest in fencing. Ever since that night Descole had saved her from those strange men she had made up her mind she wanted to learn to defend herself and she believed fencing would be the perfect way to do so. It didn't take long for her to reach her school known as Kingsbrook Academy since it wasn't far from her house. But unfortunately for her before she could make it to the room where her fencing class was she was spotted by her history teacher Mr. Collins.

"I'm surprised to see you here after school hours, Ms. Layton." he said with a raised brow.

While Herminia kept a calm outward appearance, on the inside she was panicking. She knew Mr. Collins was infamous for springing test puzzles on students. Her and Randall seemed to get it the most due to the two of them being the most clever when it came to puzzles.

"Hello, Mr. Collins." she greeted in a kind manner, "I was headed to my fencing classroom to get my equipment. I was wanting to get in some practice. Hopefully I can get good enough so Randall can stop beating me in duels."

"Hmm, I suppose that's fine." the history teacher started, prompting Herminia to let out a sigh of relief, only for him to continue, "That is if you can solve this test puzzle."

The brown-headed teenage girl dropped her head with a groan. She figured that he would spring a puzzle on her and she couldn't believe that she actually thought for a moment he would actually let her off the hook for the first time. After she managed to solve his puzzle she headed over to the gym where her fencing class was. Once there she got her rapier and placed it in her bag. She had no intention to practice in the gym, instead she had her own place. After she gathered her things she left the school grounds and went to the lake where she had first met Descole. She didn't know why but she felt drawn to the spot where she had found him nine years ago.

Herminia sat her bag on the ground and got out her rapier. She took in a deep breath as she positioned her feet into her fighting stance. Feeling she was ready she began practicing her parries. She made sure her arms were positioned correctly as she stabbed her rapier around in the air. She made sure the stabs were quick and precise, wanting no more than perfection.

She had kept practicing until she heard a voice say "Keep swinging like that and your opponent would have already knocked you off your feet by this time."

Herminia gasped as she dropped her rapier; she had recognized that voice. She quickly turned to find herself face to face with none other than Descole.

"Descole, I hadn't seen you in a while." she exclaimed in surprise.

Upon examination Herminia saw he had changed a lot from when she last saw him. Instead of keeping his eyes in the shadows he now wore a white masquerade mask with a black hat. He wore a black jacket with a gray vest, black pants, and shoes that were half black and half white. Herminia saw that Descole was also now in his early twenties, but this time she did not make a comparison to her brother because her memories of him had been long forgotten.

"Same to you." he replied.

Descole had to use all his strength to fight back the urge to comment on his sister's appearance. He hadn't excepted to see her so much grown up but he did had to admit that she could probably afford to cut her hair due to the curls now being held back in a messy ponytail. He had stopped visiting his sister when he heard about a large room being discovered in some old Azran ruins. He wanted to get all the information from the ruins before Targent received the news. The information he got left him having to take a few years to decipher everything.

"So why were you saying my opponent would beat me?" Herminia asked, snapping Descole out of his thoughts.

"Well it's pretty simple, Layton." he said with a smug smile, "You were being predictable. The key to defeating your opponent is to be precise and unpredictable."

The teenage girl's brown eyes widened upon hearing this. She couldn't believe she was making herself too obivious, realizing now why Randall was able to beat her during all of their duels. She bit her lip nervously, wondering how she was suppose to get better at fencing. That was when she remembered Descole's skills. She remembered witnessing how skilled he was with a rapier when he was fighting off the men in black coats.

Without any second thoughts she exclaimed "Descole, train me!"

The masked man raised his brows in surprise. At first he thought his sister wasn't serious until he saw her pick up her rapier and hold it downward, repeating her plea once more. His surprise quickly turned into interest. He never thought he would see the day where he would have to teach his little sister fencing techniques.

"Alright, if that's what you wish." he replied.

Herminia nodded her head as Descole unsheathed his rapier and pointed his downwards were it was crisscrossed with her own. She lifted up her rapier but before she even got a chance to attack the masked man swiped one of his legs underneath her, sending her to the ground with a yelp within a second. When she tried to get up she found Descole's rapier pointed directly at her neck.

"You had poor stance. Always remember to keep your legs in the proper stance while fighting." he said.

He moved his rapier away, allowing his sister to stand up once more. He waited patiently as she made sure she got in the proper fighting stance before getting in his own.  
Herminia jabbed her rapier forward but much to her shock Descole blocked the attack by slashing downward, causing her arm to get knocked back. Once again she found herself with Descole's rapier being aimed directly at her neck.

"Favor defense over offense. Learn your opponent's attacks before striking." he said before moving away his rapier once more.

Herminia grunted in annoyance as she once again got in her starting position. The minutes passed by as she kept trying to outdo Descole but every single time she found herself with the rapier being aimed at her throat. She didn't know why but she didn't like how Descole kept aiming his rapier there. It was similar to the feeling she always got when the masked man addressed her by her last name. It just felt wrong to her but she didn't know the reasons why.  
Descole could easily tell his sister was growing frustrated and worried whenever he had pointed the rapier at her neck. A part of him didn't like doing it either but he had to constantly remind himself he couldn't show any hint of a bond with her otherwise she might piece together his identity. While he knew she had gotten to the age that remembering her memories from that young age was difficult, he still didn't want to take any chances.

"You're improving but you still lack the skills to win a duel." Descole commented as he sheathed his rapier.

"Wait, we're done?" Herminia asked in surprise.

"Yes, for now that is. If you wish to learn more, Layton, you will meet me here tomorrow once again." he said.

With that he turned his back toward her and walked off.  
Herminia remained silent at she stared down at the rapier she grasped in her hand. She did want to be better at fencing and she considered Descole her best ticket in doing so. The teenage girl let out a tired sigh as she packed up her rapier, having grown tired from her practice session with Descole. She glanced at the direction he had left in before beginning to walk home, mulling over the new tips he had given her.

"With enough practice, one day I'll be as good as a fighter that Descole is in fencing." she thought out loud with a smile.

She bounced her bag a bit on her shoulder, planning to go home and get a good rest. She didn't want to be tired otherwise she would be sleeping in her classroom. Then she would end up having to not only do a lot of explaining to her parents but to her teacher Mr. Collins as well, and that was a scenario she wished to avoid.


	5. New Student

Chapter 5

Herminia yawned a bit as she walked on the school grounds. It was time for school and she hadn't completely gotten over her drowsiness. When Randall came up to greet her she only smiled and waved at him before letting out another yawn. She had to return her fencing equipment before heading to her first class of the day. She had kept repeating to herself over and over again the tips Descole had taught her, that way she would be prepared for her class.

"Herminia, I've never seen you this exhausted before." Randall commented with concern, "And that includes the times I had accidentally kept you up almost all night over at my house talking about a new discovery."

"Yeah, don't remind me. Your father nearly had my head when I was leaving at such at late time." she replied, "But don't worry, Randall. I just need some tea to wake me up."

"Why is it always tea with you, Herminia? You know you could get coffee instead." he asked with a raised brow.

The brown-haired teenager shrugged as she answered "Tea always stuck out for me more."

But because of this she wasn't watching where she was going and had accidentally bumped into someone. She shook her head with a groan; her bags and books scattered all over the ground. She began to open her mouth to begin apologizing but what she saw made her speechless.  
Before her was a teenage boy with short, wavy bright-red hair. He wore a white jacket, small round glasses, a blue shirt, brown pants and blue shoes. The teenage boy lifted his head up with and groaned and gasped when he realized what had happened.

"Oh I am so sorry. Here let me help you gather up these things." he stammered as he began gathering the scattered books and papers.

Herminia couldn't find any words to utter from her mouth. She sat on the ground frozen and silently; the only thing she could hear was her heart beginning to beat rapidly.  
Once the nameless teenager had finished gathering up the books her handed them to Herminia to which the teenage girl accepted silently.

"Here let me help you up as well." he said.

The brown-headed girl remained silent as she grasped the teenage boy's hand and allowed him to help her stand back up. She couldn't place her finger on it but she couldn't take her eyes off of the teenager before her. In fact she was surprised at herself that she was actually considering him handsome.  
Randall saw the whole scene unfold before him and was doing his best to hold back his laughter. He couldn't believe that his normally pretty talkative friend was now silenced by the sight of a teenage boy.

"Oh I shouldn't be rude." the boy admitted as he smiled in embarrassment, "I should introduce myself. After all I did pretty much bump into you. My name is Clarence."

Herminia's mind was blank for a few moments, leaving her at a loss of words to say. Finally after a few seconds she managed to snap back into reality, prompting her to rapidly shake her head.

"Oh I should introduce myself as well. I'm Layton, Herminia Layton." she replied as her cheeks blushed a bit.

"Hmm, Herminia Layton is quite a lovely name. Well I wish I could talk to you more, Herminia, but I must be going to class. Farewell." Clarence said before waving and dashing off.

The brown-headed teenage girl had smiled a bit as she waved back at the teenage boy.

"Well, well, well, the famous Herminia Layton has a crush now does she?" Randall smirked.

Upon hearing those words the teenage girl's face turned completely red. She couldn't believe her best friend was teasing her about the subject. While she did find Clarence attractive; she barely knew him and she knew that didn't warrantee an instant feeling of love. Trying to cover her beating red face, Herminia hid her face behind her books much to Randall's amusement.

"For pete's sake, Randall! I just met the guy! Besides a true lady never rushes head first into a relationship. A true lady is polite and patient when it comes to such things." she said.

"You are aware ladyship is pretty much dead, Herminia, right?" the red-headed teenager stated with a hand one his hip.

In that instant Herminia instantly lowered her books with her face now painted with annoyance.

"For the last time, Randall, ladyship will never die." she huffed.

Before the teens could say anymore the bell rang, alerting them to go to class. The two friends bid their goodbyes before dashing off to class. The first class Herminia had to go to was science class. She wasn't very interested in science but had to attend due to the fact the class was required for graduation. She sat down at her assigned desk, fetching her science books out of her bag. But when she had finished setting up, her heart nearly stopped when she saw none other than Clarence walk into the classroom. She stared in shock as she listened to the glasses wearing teenager explain how he was a transfer student that had started attending the school.

"Very well then. I believe there's a unused desk next to Ms. Layton." the science teacher replied.

Clarence nodded his before taking his seat. Once at his desk even he was surprised to see Herminia again. He was little confused when he saw the teenage girl nervously brush a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as he her brown eyes looked everywhere but at him. From examining her appearance Clarence had never perceived Herminia to be a shy girl. He thought about talking to her but before he got the chance he heard the teacher announce for the students to pen up their books. Clarence frowned slightly as he followed the command but that didn't stop him to take one glance at Herminia. At first he was disappointed when she had her eyes glued on the pages of her book until he spotted her glance his direction. Seeing this he gave her a small smile which prompted her to turn her attention back to her book in a panicked manner, confusing him. Unknown to Clarence, Herminia's cheeks were blushing very brightly out of nervousness.

Once science class was done Herminia ran out of the classroom as fast as she could. She didn't want to seem rude to Clarence but she believed the scenario of her stammering nervously was much worse. Once she saw she was out of Clarence's sight she let out a deep breath that she had been holding back.

"Why are you so out of breath, Layton? Did you finally decided to ditch Bratscot?" a loud booming voice asked with a laugh.

The teenage girl turned around with a startled jump but was quickly relieved when she saw it was only Alphonse Dalston.  
Dalston was a large, muscular teenage boy that had brown hair pulled into a short pony tail, wearing a light-blue shirt with a dog logo on it, dark-blue shorts and shoes.

"Ha, you were actually scared by that? Wow that is so ridiculous! Who knew you were such a scaredy cat?" Dalston laughed loudly at this.

Hermina shook her head with her hand placed firmly on her head; she had grown use to the large teenager's insults toward her. While she knew he insulted Randall as well he seemed to aim more insults toward her. She didn't know the reason why but she had a theory that it was because he was jealous of all the adventures she has with Randall when he drags her on one of his expeditions.

Deciding to take the insult head on she replied "No, Dalston, I was headed for my next class."

"Heh, always got somewhere to be. Bratscot has rubbed off on ya, Layton. Next thing you know you're going to end up liking archeology and end up a professor." Dalston smirked.

"Me? A professor? I doubt it." Herminia scoffed.

"Hmm, I don't know. Professor Layton has a nice ring to it." Randall commented as he walked up to the two teenagers, having heard part of their discussion.

Herminia rolled her eyes, figuring her best friend would make that comment. She honestly didn't picture herself getting a job as a professor, especially due to the fact she wasn't convinced that she had the qualfications of one. Though she did had to agree with Randall that the title "Professor Layton" did indeed have a nice ring to it.

"Well come on, Herminia. It's time to head to class for fencing." Randall said while gesturing with his hand to follow.

The teenage girl nodded before following her red-headed friend, leaving Dalston alone. At the gym all the students attending the fencing class had all changed into their uniforms which were white jumpsuits with padding.  
Herminia silently repeated the steps Descole taught her over and over again as she pulled on her fencing mask. She let out a deep breath as she turned to face her opponent Randall. She spread out her legs, making sure they were in the stance Descole had shown her and pointed her rapier downwards.  
Randall did the same as well. They lifted their rapiers and the fight began.

Herminia moved backwards and forwards with her footing. Letting out grunts and huffs and she blocked Randall's attacks and she defended herself.  
The red-headed teenager raised his brows in surprise; he couldn't believe the brown-headed girl had actually improved in her fencing techniques. It made him wonder if that was why she was tired earlier that day, if she had been practicing yesterday. Choosing to ignore this he continued the duel. As he fought he saw Herminia was favoring defensive tactics too much, giving him an idea how to attack. Without warning, when Herminia expected him to attack he instead ducked down and stabbed his rapier against the padding over her torso.

"What?!" she exclaimed in shock, staring down at the rapier jabbed against her torso.

"Looks like I win again, Herminia. It was pretty easy when I saw you were favoring defense too much." Randall commented as he removed his face mask.

"Ah be precise and unpredictable. I forgot about that step." she muttered to herself as she removed her mask as well.

"But..." the red-headed teenager started, making his friend's body freeze, "I noticed you were doing better than you usually do. Have you've been practicing?"

Herminia took a moment to pause to think about what she was going to say before finally replying "Yeah, pretty much."

Later that day, the last school bell had rung, signifying the end of class. Herminia panted as she ran across the school yard; it was getting close to the time she had agreed to meet Descole. She ran as fast as she could, hearing her rapier bang around in her bag. It didn't take her long to reach the meeting spot. Once there she saw Descole leaning against the tree, waiting just like he promised.  
The masked man was only slightly surprised when he saw the appearance of his little sister. He had given her the offer yesterday to continue training with him, curious to see if she would accept it.

"Ah, Layton, so you showed up." he said with a smirk as he pushed himself off from the tree.

"I said I wanted you to train me so of course I came." Herminia replied as she got her rapier out of her bag.

Descole couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped his mouth. He was impressed with how determined his sister had become over the years. Silently he pulled out his rapier and got in the starting position to begin the duel. Nothing but the sound of the two siblings' rapiers clashing together filled the air.  
Herminia could already feel sweat dripping down her brow as she constantly circled around the area, varying between offensive and defensive tactics to make sure she was unpredictable and precise. Her arm ached a few times when Descole would try to knock her arm back to make her defenseless again but she used all her might to always bring her arm back as fast as she could. For a moment she actually thought she was going to win the duel until unfortunately her opponent was able to put enough strength in his swing to knock her rapier out of her hand.

Descole watched his sister clenched both her teeth and fists in anger when he had the rapier aimed at her neck as usual.

"You arm position was sloppy, always make sure to have it positioned correctly in order to save strength in your hand. An incorrect arm position forces you hand to do most of the work when blocking you opponent and weakens it." he said before moving his rapier.

Herminia nodded her head in understanding as she flexed her tired hand in an attempt to get rid of the sore feeling. Once her hand was feeling a little better she picked up her rapier and presumed the starting position.

"I'm surprised you're still wanting to continue." Descole commented as he got in position.

"I may be tired, but it's like approaching a puzzle. If you give up you'll never know the outcome." she smirked.

At first Descole was taken back by his sister's words but then found himself nodding in agreement. The two of them ended up training all afternoon, once again all of the duels ending in Herminia's defeat. But despite the losses Herminia was still able to slowly but surely level out the playing field with her improving skills. Having grown tired she sat down on the ground with her back leaning against the tree. Her chest heaved as she panted and took in deep breaths. She glanced up at Descole, surprised that he looked like he had barely broken a sweat,

"How are you not tired?" she asked.

"Years of building up endurance." he answered, "Keep up the training and you should be able to one day have the same endurance."

Herminia quietly mouthed the word "Oh" before turning her attention toward the lake.

"So same time tomorrow?" she asked without looking at the masked man.

"Only if that is what you wish." Descole replied.

"It is." the brown-headed girl answered.

"Then I shall see you tomorrow, Layton." he smirked before walking away.

Herminia finally turned her head where Descole was once standing. She was a little surprised that Descole had accepted her offer to train her once again. She wanted to know why he cared so much for her but tried to hide his feelings by acting distant. She had grown use to him addressing her by her last name but she still didn't like it. All she wanted was him to utter her first name, even if it was only for just one time just so long as he says it. When she thought about the masked teenager she was confused when she found herself at times feeling like she had known him her entire life. But no matter what she couldn't find the source for why she felt that way. Hermina glanced up at the sky, seeing it was starting to get dark.

"Well time to get home. I'm so tired." she muttered herself.

She stood up once more, ignoring her aching muscles from the training session. As she walked home she only hoped her mother wouldn't scold her for passing out on the bed without changing into her pajamas like many times in the past. When she had made it into town she was about to head toward her house till she bumped into a familiar person. She fell to the ground with a grunt, noticing a pair of glasses had fallen on top of her head. When her brown eyes settled on the person she bumped into her heart almost stopped. Right in front of her was the red-haired teenager Clarence.

The teenage boy blindly scrambled his hands all over the ground in an attempt to locate his glasses.

Herminia glanced up at the glasses on top of her head before carefully picking them up.

She cleaned them off on one of her sleeves and said "Umm here you go." before handing them to him.

Clarence took the glasses from the teenage girl's hand and slipped them over his eyes, relieved to finally see once again. When he saw Herminia was in front of him he jumped back in surprise.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to bump into you again. Quite literally." he said with a smile.

Herminia nervously twisted a strand of hair around her index finger as she said "Oh yeah but I was kind of heading back home. I'm really tired and would like to get some rest."

"Would you like me to escort you?" Clarence suggested.

The brown-headed girl jolted a bit in surprise upon hearing this offer. She pulled on her pony tail a bit before nodding, trying to hide her growing blush.  
Clarence smiled as he took her hand and stood up with her. He saw how once again the teenage girl was acting shy around him. Choosing to ignore this in order to be polite Clarence began walking home with Herminia, unaware of the small smile forming on the brown-haired girl's face. Clarence was very surprised to discover it was only a short walk to Herminia's house; he hadn't expected her to live so close by.

Herminia walked up to the front door and turned toward the red-headed teenager. She rubbed her arm nervously while she struggled to find the words to say. She hated being so nerve shaken and sppechless, making her appear rude to the teenager.

Finally being able to swallow her nervous she said "Thank you, you for walking me home."

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school." Clarence said.

Herminia couldn't stop the smile forming on her face as she nodded her head.  
Clarence smiled upon seeing this, glad to see the teenager before him managed to get over her shyness a little bit. Without another word he headed back into streets, returning to his own home.  
Herminia let out a sigh of relief, glad that Clarence had left. It wasn't that she didn't like him is why she was glad; she just didn't like being nervous in front of him.

"Now to get some sleep." Herminia said with a yawn before heading into her house.

Meanwhile Randall was digging in an empty part of the forest. He had kept digging until his shovel had hit something hard. He let out a gasp as he quickly kneeled down to the ground and dusted away the access dirt. Once the dirt was all cleaned away he nearly stopped breathing. He reached into the hole he had dug and pulled out a golden mask.

"I can't believe I actually found it! The Mask of Chaos!" he said in a breathless tone.


	6. Future Choices

Chapter 6

It was a brand new day in Kingsbrook Academy. Students were busy dashing down the halls, wanting to get to their classes on time. Herminia managed to arrive at the school but she had to struggle through many crowds to reach her destination because today was an important day for Herminia and many other students. Fortunately she managed to reach the classroom she was looking for. Herminia walked in the classroom with her bag slung on her shoulder and a mysterious object in her other hand. She managed to spot her red-headed friend sitting down at his desk. A partly smug and partly annoyed grin formed on her face as she tossed the object in her hand up a bit before walking over to Randall's desk.

"I believe this belongs to you, Randall." Herminia said as she dropped a puzzle block on her friend's desk.

Randall smirked as he slightly pushed up his glasses with his finger. Ever since he discovered Herminia's talent for solving puzzles he had hidden a few around her bedroom whenever he visited. He knew his best friend at times grew annoyed when she would find a brand new puzzle stuffed usually in her room's bookshelf but she always solved them none the less.

Randall picked up the puzzle block, examining it and commenting "The correct answer again. And you keep saying archeology isn't your calling."

"Randall, I like puzzles. I'm not obsessed with them like you are." the teenage girl replied as she sat down at her desk.

At that moment all the students in the room fell silent as a woman with her hair tied up in a bun and wearing a blue dress-suit entered the class. Students who were attending their last year at the academy had to attend a mandatory meeting detailing about universities. Herminia and Randall were among those students.  
Herminia had been looking into some information about the universities that had caught her attention, especially the one in London called Gressenhellar University. She was being polite and paying attention until she felt Randall tap her shoulder.

"What?" she whispered to him.

"Have you thought about what your major is going to be?" he whispered back.

Herminia shook her head before directing her attention back toward the woman speaking. She was very surprised at herself that she couldn't quite find a major that she was comfortable with. At one time she had considered science being her major due to her puzzle solving skills but she had dropped that idea when she discovered she wasn't too great at reading formulas. At that moment she felt Randall tap her shoulder again. She let out a quiet sigh, wishing Randall would understand that they were supposed to be listening to the woman speaking.

"Your major could be archeology like I said many times in the past." he suggested.

Herminia slapped both of her hands against her face with a groan.

"Really, Randall, you're doing this to me now?" she slightly hissed.

"Honestly, Herminia, you have a talent for it! Why do you keep pretending you don't?" he asked.

At that moment the two teenagers were startled by the woman in the blue dress-suit coughing loudly. The two of them nervously directed their sights on the woman to see she was glaring at them while she was rapidly tapping her foot against the ground.

"Mr. Ascot and Ms. Layton, do you both care to share something about the topic?" she said with a hint of annoyance in her face.

Both of Herminia and Randall shook their heads nervously, prompting the woman to continue with the meeting. Herminia's face turned red from embarrassment when she heard some students snickering at the scene they had witnessed, prompting her to slide down a bit in her desk in an attempt to hide from the gazes. It wasn't long before the bell finally rung, signaling for the students to return to their classes. Herminia got up from her desk and gathered her things, trying to rush out of the classroom as fast as she could, fearing Randall was going to harass her more about archeology.

Once she was outside of the classroom she heard someone call out her name. Turning her head she managed to spot Angela running toward her while waving her hand.  
Angela was wearing a red sweater with a white waist coat, a gray skirt with black tights, and blue shoes.

"Herminia, why did you run so fast out of the room?" Angela asked.

"Oh sorry about that." Herminia replied with a laugh, "I was trying to escape another one of your boyfriend's archeology talk."

The blond-headed teenager laughed upon hearing this, remembering how the brown-headed teenage girl had accidentally got in trouble due to Randall's archeology talk. While she cared for both Randall and Herminia; she did have to agree with the brown-headed teenage girl about her boyfriend's obsession concerning archeology. She only hoped that Randall would never go on any dangerous expedition and that Herminia would always be there to watch over him and keep him safe. The two teenage girls walked together on the way to their next class, finding out how each other's day was.  
Herminia didn't quite consider Angela a close friend like she did Randall but she still considered her a good friend.

"So Randall tells me you have a fancy for the new transfer student." Angela said with small giggle while winking toward her friend.

Herminia's face turned blood red, stopping in her tracks instantly as she exclaimed "He did what?!"

The brown-headed teenager began to regret getting spotted by Angela so she could have avoided the embarrassing scenario altogether. She bit her lip as she franticly kept pulling on her ponytail while listening to her friend's giggles. Despite being very embarrassed, Herminia was just glad that Clarence himself was not there to see her face red as the vest she wore.

"Though that isn't the only thing I wanted to talk to you about. I noticed that both yesterday and the day before that you headed toward the lake at the same time. Why is that?" Angela asked, her voice taking on a serious tone.

Herminia did her best to hide any sign of nervousness or hesitation to answer. She had been doing her best to keep Descole a secret from everyone but she found it difficult when she had to explain things such as why she was training at the lake for so long and why she was always so tired after her training. She desperately raked her mind for an answer, knowing that Angela was growing more suspicious from the lack of a reply.

Finally she answered "It's just fencing practice. I've lost to Randall so many times I figured more practice time would yield better results."

Her brown eyes glanced over toward her friend, relieved to see she had accepted the excuse. Herminia knew she wasn't completely lying since it was true she was doing fencing practice; she just had made sure she left out all information about Descole. She remembered how she had agreed to meet with Descole again that day but knew if she kept visiting him frequently people would grow suspicious and eventually someone would go to investigate, resulting in the discovery of the masked teenager. Her thoughts were interrupted when she found herself standing before the door to her next class.

"Well I guess this is where we part ways." Angela said with a smile.

"Yeah. I'll see you later." Herminia replied back.

But before Herminia could take a step, the blonde-haired teenager teased "Say hi to your boyfriend for me."

The brown-headed teenager yelled out in shock as her friend let out some laughs while walking away. Herminia groaned as she began rubbing her forehead, knowing her friends were never going to let her live down the embarrassment over Clarence.

Later that day Herminia was panting for breath when she reached the lake, having ran the entire way. She looked around and grew disappointed when she saw no sign of the masked teenager anywhere. Deciding to wait for him, Herminia sat down next to the tree. She let out a yawn from drowsiness since she was still struggling with her sleep.

"Well since he isn't here yet I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a small nap." she muttered to herself.

Without a word she rested her back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. But because of her doing this she wasn't able to see Descole finally arrive at the meeting place.  
He was surprised to see his sister sleeping against the tee, having expected her to be awake and ready for training. At first he thought about waking her up but then he stopped himself when he realized this was the one chance he could finally get close to her without worrying about her finding out who he was. Without a word he walked over to Herminia and kneeled down next to her.

"Herminia, it's been hard turning you away like I have but it's the only way to keep you safe." he said quietly.

He silently reached out and rubbed the back of his hand against her face, brushing strands of hair out of her face in the process. For the first time he allowed himself smile in happiness, something he held back in order to keep up his distant persona for his sister. He moved away his hand when he saw Herminia begin to stir. With a sigh he presumed his distant and mysterious act, keeping his true feelings buried.

Herminia yawned as she began blinking her brown eyes open. Once her vision completely cleared she let out a surprised gasp when she saw Descole kneeling next to her.

"Descole, I uh..." she stammered nervously, trying to find the words to say.

"No need to explain, Layton. Now come on if you want to practice" he replied as he stood back up.

Herminia nodded as she got off of the ground as well. She was still confused about why Descole was kneeling next to her while she was sleeping but chose to think nothing of it. Many minutes had once again passed as the two trained together. This time Herminia had significantly improved, she let out grunts and huffs as she managed to equally match the masked man. Her feet moved swiftly as her rapier constantly clashed with Descole's.  
Even Descole was surprised to see his sister was able to now keep up with him. Deciding to test this he hastened his fighting pace, prompting his sister to do the same as well.

"Huh, it seems you're getting challenging to fight now." Descole smirked.

"What can I say? I have a great teacher." Herminia smirked back.

They continued their duel but in the Herminia lost to her brother once again. She let out an annoyed grumble upon this happening, thinking she was finally good enough to beat Descole. Letting go of the loss Herminia began packing up her rapier in her bag.

"You seemed more distracted today instead of your usual focus. Had you been focused you would have won the duel." Descole commented without looking at his sister.

The brown-headed teenage girl's eyes widen upon hearing this. She couldn't believe the masked man could tell her thoughts weren't completely on the duel. Her other thoughts were still on the universities and the major she would need to choose. The whole thing left her stomach in knots due to anxiety. She let out a sigh as she sat down on the ground. She was very surprised when she saw Descole sit down next to her.

"Well..." he started as he gestured out his hand toward her, "Explain yourself."

Herminia glanced down at the ground, wondering if she should tell a person she barely knew her problem. When she thought about it she knew she did need to explain for her lack of an attention since that was the proper lady thing to do. She also felt like she could trust the masked teenager despite not knowing why. Finally after a moment of pondering she decided to tell him.

"Today at my school they talked to us last year students about universities." she began to explain, "I have been struggling with the whole thing. It's easy to pick out a university, I already have my eyes on a few. It's the major I can't figure out."

Descole remained silent as his sister huddled her knees against her chest and let out a shaky breath.

"Time is running out but it seems I can't find anything that fits me. Everything I tried doesn't work out for me. My friend suggests I should major in archaeology but I'm not interested in such things." she finished.

Descole felt sad when he heard Herminia's confession. He knew she was having trouble picking a major simply because she hadn't found her own identity yet. He was partially relieved when he heard his sister didn't wish to become a archeologist due to the fact archeology was partially the reason why their family was ripped apart. But he sensed something in the teenage girl's voice, as if she was hesitant with choosing not to pursue that major. Quietly he placed his hand against his chin in thought.

"You should pick the major that corresponds with what you love." he said.

Herminia quickly turned her head toward Descole, shocked to see he was actually giving her advice concerning the subject.

"Don't force yourself to do something you're not happy with, Layton. If you do that you'll never be happy and have many regrets in life." he finished.

He glanced at his sister to see her smiling at him. Before he could react she instantly hugged him as she whispered thank you to him. Descole wasn't sure how to react, leaving him speechless. Finally after a few seconds of hesitation he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. The masked man was a bit worried that by performing such an act he would be unintentionally allowing himself to get too close to his sister. But for the moment he did not care; he finally was able to release some of the pent up feelings he had desperately held back.

Herminia pulled back out of the hug to see Descole refusing to give her eye-contact.

 _"He's acting distant again. Why does he become so close to me yet acts like he doesn't even want to show an inkling of emotion toward me?"_ Herminia thought to herself.

Unfortunately she wasn't able to finish her thought process because Descole stood back up.

"It's time for you to get home." he said, prompting the brown-headed teenage girl to frown.

"Oh okay." she said quietly as she got up and grabbed her bag.

She began to walk away but stopped to take a glance back at Descole. She saw he had his back turned toward her while he stared out at the lake. She only wished that Descole would stop giving her more questions and finally give her answers. She took in a deep breath before walking away without a goodbye.

Meanwhile in another part of the world a dark city hideout known as The Nest that had much pollution due to sludge and oil from the many machines and the skies were constantly filled with dark clouds. In the middle of the city that was tall building that towered over all the other buildings known as the Nest. Inside the top floor was a office with a man that had dirty-blonde hair and a beard, wearing a blue jacket, red shirt, white pants, black shoes and sunglasses sat at his desk tapping his fingers. His name Leon Bronev and he was the leader of Targent, having worked up the ranks after his wife had died. He was silent until he heard someone enter his office. He looked up to see two Targent agents enter the room.

"Boss, we managed to locate the dagger." one of the agents said as he pulled the crystal dagger out his jacket.

Bronev grunted as he swiped the crystal dagger out of the agent's hand. He examined it for a moment before grinning in satisfaction and slipping it into his own jacket.

"Perfect, we have one of the pieces to unlocking the Azran Legacy already. Once we find the three Azran cities they shall guide the way to the sleeping messenger." he said.

He turned toward the two agents to see them standing quietly, awaiting further orders. He knew there was one more thing he wanted that would also prove useful in discovering the Azran Legacy. His agents had reported to him how she had some knowledge of the Azran and that she was very capable of solving the puzzles the ancient civilization had left behind.

"Now that your brought me the dagger there's one last thing I want you both to do." he started as he walked away from them to pick up a picture frame off of his desk and continued, "Bring me my daughter. You know where she is."

The two Targent agents nodded in understanding before leaving in the room.  
Once they were gone Bronev glanced down at the picture frame he held. The picture detailed a much younger version of himself with a woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes. In front of them was two young children, both with brown hair but the older one was a boy and the younger one was a girl. Bronev silently took off his sunglasses and let out a shaky sigh.

"Don't worry, Rachel. I will fulfill our dream, for us..." he said, taking a pause as he closed his eyes and continued, "... and our children."


	7. Friends

Chapter 7

Two teens huffed and panted as their rapiers clashed against each other. The fencing class was being held in the gym at the academy and the students were in the middle of duels. While they were good, only the two teens that were fighting with all their might were the best of their class. The fight was vicious and both opponents were equally skilled. Finally the two teens stabbed their rapiers at each other, but only one of them managed to successfully stab their rapier against the padding covering the opponent's torso. The teen that lost gasped upon seeing the rapier stabbed against them before finally groaning in defeat.

The winner removed his protection mask to reveal none other than Randall Ascot who was smirking in victory.

"Look's like I win again, Herminia." he said.

Herminia removed her protection mask, shaking around her long messy hair that was partly damp from sweat. She was so anxious during the fight when she was able to finally match up to Randall's fighting skills. Unfortunately she got too anxious which granted her friend the chance to seize victory. She knew she couldn't be as good as she was at fencing if it weren't for her trainer, Descole. It had been a month since she had that talk to him about her future. His words had encouraged to use the time to search for the thing she loved before graduation, resulting in her sacrificing much of her training time with him.

"Still, Herminia, I still can't figure how you managed to get so good by only training by yourself?" Randall noted before the brown headed-teenager could head to the locker room.

Herminia took a pause, knowing she would have to chose her words carefully.

Finally she replied "I managed to pick up a few tactics." before heading in the girl's locker room.

The red-headed teenager crossed his arms silently, a bit upset his friend didn't give him a straight-forward answer. But it didn't take long for him to brush off his suspcision. He wasn't really concerned over Herminia's mysterious training, instead he was excited to share his new discovery with her and Angela. It had taken him a month but he finally gathered enough results to reveal his archeological find to his friends. Without a word he went to the locker room to get changed. By the time he got out he saw Herminia was already packing up her fencing gear.

"So, Herminia..." he began, prompting his friend to look up at him, "Since I won the duel, that's means I get to choose what we're going to do.

The brown-headed teenager rolled her eyes. She had made a bet with Randall that the winner of the duel would get to choose the activity that day. She had accepted the duel, thinking she would win and for once get to drag Randall somewhere for a change.

"Of course, Randall, as agreed. After all a lady never goes back on her word." she said as she stood up.

With that said the two of them began heading toward their history class together. As they walked Herminia managed to spot Clarence talking among some of the students in the hall. Her face blushed slightly when she noticed his eyes were focused on her.  
Randall saw this as well and nudged the girl's ribs with his elbow while wearing a smug grin.

"Still embarrassed by your boyfriend?" he teased.

Hermina's face turned bright red not only out of embarrassment, but also infuriation.

"Randall, Clarence is just a friend. Sure we dabble a bit in some small talk during science class but once again that doesn't mean I'm head over heels over him." she replied.

"Your face says otherwise." her best friend smirked.

Herminia grumbled as her fists shook slightly. While she knew Randall wasn't wanting to make her testy, she knew that her best friend does indeed love pushing her buttons sometimes. But it was always never done in spiteful spirits, instead he used it just to engage in a bit a playful banter with one of his closest friends. Deciding to gather her up feelings, Herminia took in a big and calm deep breath.

"Alright, Randall." she said in a calm tone, "Would it satisfy you if I admit I do find him attractive?"

At that moment the brown-headed teenager was confused when she saw her best friend slap his hand over his mouth and doing his best not to laugh. She had expected him to respond with a witty comment about how he was right. That was when she noticed Randall's eyes weren't focused on her, but rather someone behind her. A wave of dread washed over her as she slowly turned around. Once she did, Herminia inhaled sharply with a panicked expression on her face. There before her was Clarence who was stunned from her confession.

"Cl-Cl-Cl-Clarence, what are you doing here?" Herminia stuttered nervously.

"I... uh..." the wavy-haired teen responded, struggling to find the words to say, "I was... umm... wondering if you... you remembered to study for the science test... that is today."

Sweat of nervousness began to drip down the side of the teenage girl's face. She was a lost of words to say, knowing that Clarence had heard her admit that she found him attractive. A part of wished she could disappear all together. She thought the situation she got herself in was so sticky that not even Descole himself could get her out of it. Finally, deciding to face the music Herminia took in another deep breath to straighten out her nerves.

"Yes I had studied for the test. Thank you for your concern, Clarence." she replied.

Clarence nodded his head in approval. He was still very surprised to learn Herminia was attracted to him but it did answer his lingering question about why she acted so shy around him sometimes. Fortunately his small talks he shared with her helped her gradually get over that shyness. But now that he knows her secret he feels like he was back at square one with her. While he did find it a little awkward to learn this fact, he wasn't too shaken up by it since it is pretty normal for teens to gain attractions. He also wasn't too shaken up because unknown to Herminia, he actually found her cute.

 _"Still though she could use a haircut. I swear that hair is messier looking than cotton candy."_ he thought to himself.

Figuring it would be best to not acknowledge the confession Clarence finally said "Well that's good. I guess I'll see you around." before leaving.

Once Clarence was gone Herminia let out a loud sigh of relief, prompting Randall to finally release the laughter he had been holding back.

"I can't believe you said that while he was standing right behind you!" he laughed.

"Yes quite. Now, Randall, can we not talk about this and just head to class." she grumbled slightly.

The red-headed nodded while some small laughter still managed to escape his mouth. He had never expected for things to turn out the way they did. He was trying to get Herminia to admit she liked Clarance but she hadn't anticipated Clarence walking over right that moment. Either way he found the encounter better than what he could asked for, after it was rare for him to see his friend's face turn as red as her vest.

Later that day in the History Class students remained silent as the teacher Mr. Collins went over the lesson about Azran artifacts. Herminia let out a quiet sigh; she was very tired hearing about the ancient civilization everyone was making a fuss about. She heard the name of the ancient race so much that it had been engrained in her mind, unable to ever forget it. There was also another reason why she had grown tired of the mentions of the Azran. She didn't know why but she always felt a bit bitter when she heard the name. She felt as if the name was the source of a aching she would sometimes feel in her heart. But she could never place her finger on the reason why nor could she remember a reason for the strange reaction.

"Ms. Layton, I would prefer you pay attention instead of gazing at the window!" Mr. Collins scolded at that moment.

Herminia jolted in surprise, the yell having caught her off guard.

"Sorry, Mr. Collins." she replied with a nervous grin.

"Well if you are truly invested in this class then how about solving this archeology puzzle?" the teacher suggested with his eyes narrowed.

Herminia groaned upon hearing this, partially cursing her ability to solve puzzles. Though she did not object to the request, fearing what would happen if she disobeyed her cranky history teacher. Fortunately for the brown-headed teenager the puzzle was one of the types she exceeded when it came to her thinking process and she was able to solve it in a snap.

"Nice job as usual, Herminia. There's seems to never be a puzzle you can't solve, wonder if one day you'll encounter that one puzzle that only you can solve." Randall commented as he friend returned to her desk.

"Hmm." the teenage girl muttered as she placed her hand against her chin, "A puzzle only meant for me."

At that moment Mr. Collins called Randall up to the front of the class to solve a couple of archeology puzzles as well. Just like Herminia he was able to solve all of them with ease. Once they were all solved Mr. Collins gave him permission to sit back down but the red-headed teenager refused. Instead he wanted to bring a very important question to light.

"Mr. Collins, could you tell me a bit about the Mask of Chaos?" he asked.

When those words were uttered from the red-headed teenager's mouth, the class fell silent. Even the teacher himself was stunned at his student for asking about the mysterious artifact.

"Well in 'Ancient Histories' Rutledge discovered the mask. Not much is known about the mask except for the rumor about it granting the wearer magic powers. The whereabouts of the mask now are unknown." Mr. Collins answered.

"Now say..." Randall began as he held out his hand while his arm was being propped up by his other hand, "What if someone managed to track down this elusive mask and discovered it led to even a greater archeological find of the Azran civilization."

Herminia had her eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. She knew her friend wouldn't bring up a topic offhandedly unless he had discovered something. But she had trouble believing it could be the mysterious Mask of Chaos. She knew that archeologists debate whether Rutledge actually found a mask or not because it's hard to believe a artifact exists when no one was able to find proof. Then there was the lingering question on why Rutledge had chosen to leave the mask where he supposedly found it. Herminia saw their history teacher had a similar thought process since he sent Randall back to his desk, telling him not to bring up something that was most likely just a urban legend. At that moment the school's bells echoed throughout the school, signifying the end of class.

"Randall, why were asking those questions? Mr. Collins looked about ready to swamp the entire class with homework for your topic and that's the last thing I need. I'm already busy enough trying to figure out a major with so little time left!" the brown-headed teenager demanded.

Randall glanced toward his friend with a mischievous grin. The only reason he asked about the mask was so to get the teenage girl's curiosity peaked. He was very pleased to see his tactic did indeed work.

"Both you and Angela come to my house tonight and your question will be answered." he said before getting up and leaving the classroom.

Herminia wasn't pleased with the answer she got but decided not to dwell on it. The red-headed teenager had promised her that she would get her answer that night, meaning she would have to be patient. Without a word she gathered up her bag and headed for home. She figured she might as well do her homework to pass by the time until she could meet with Randall. It didn't take long for her to reach her house since she didn't live far from the school but once there she was shocked at the sight that lay before her.  
Lucille Layton was pacing around in the kitchen; she was rubbing her hands together nervously while muttering things under her breath.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Herminia asked in concern, "If you keep worrying you'll only speed up the process of your already graying hair."

Her mother gasped in surprise; she hadn't expected her daughter to come home so soon. As she walked up to her daughter she couldn't hide the worry and fear that filled in her brown eyes. She let out a shaky sigh, trying to gather up her nerves so she could explain to her child the scene that had happened.

"These strange men took your father away." she explained, "You father claimed they were old friends of his and willingly had left with them. But I could tell those were no friends of his and they been gone for an awfully long time."

Herminia's face nearly turned pale when she heard this. Her mind instantly went back to the memory of when she was eight and those strange men were after her.

Fearing the worse she said "I got to go find him!"

But before she could dash to the door she was stopped Lucille grabbing ahold of her arm. She turned toward her mother to see her frightened, as if she didn't want her to encounter the mysterious men that had taken her father away.

"Herminia..." her mother began while swallowing a lump in her throat, "They didn't just want your father. They wanted you."

Meanwhile outside of town Roland stood silently as three men in black jackets walked around the are where the mysterious Azran ruins known as the Wall of Norwell stood. He could see the men were studying the strange carvings the where embedded in the wall, trying to decipher them. What had also caught the white-haired man's attention was that one of the men in black was much younger than his traveling companions, in fact he only looked to be a little bit younger than his own daughter. When the thoughts of his daughter came to his mind he silently pleaded that they wouldn't bump into her or that she wouldn't come searching for him.

When the men showed up at his home, demanding where Herminia was, he knew he had to lead them away from the house otherwise Herminia would had came home from school with the strange men still in their house. He didn't want to take any risk, fearing what would happen if they found his daughter so instead he offered to take them to the Wall of Norwell. Much to his relief there were very pleased with the offer, as if it worked out in their favor.

Directing his thoughts back on the boy he saw he the teenager in black was actually taking pictures of the wall with a small camera. He couldn't see much of what the teenager looked like since the black clothes and sunglasses where hiding most of his appearance. But despite that Roland could clearly see a large bunch of brown hair sticking out of the boy's hat.

At that moment his thoughts were broken when he heard one of the men in black say "Alright we got pictures. Now, Mr. Layton, I will ask you again, where is Herminia Layton?"

The white bearded man crossed his arms with a huff in an attempt to try to intimidate the mysterious men.

"For the last time I told you, she's out. I don't know where she is." he said.

The man in black clenched his fist tightly. He knew his boss Bronev would not be pleased if they came back without the girl. He knew Bronev wanted Herminia to be apart of Targent and he very well knew the reason why. But he also knew if he kept own asking about the teenage girl people would grow suspicious and that suspicion could attract cops or even worse Scotland Yard. As much he hated to admit it, his group had to give up on trying to locate Herminia.

"Alright fine. You win old man. We'll be leaving." he hissed.

With that the Targent agents left, leaving behind a relieved Roland. As the agents were making their way through the woods back to town they heard a rustling sound coming from the trees. All of them freezed in their spots, trying to find the source of the sound. All of the sudden before they could react Descole jumped down from on of the tree branches, landing on top of one of the agents, knocking him out.  
Descole snarled under his breath when he saw the agents before him; he already knew that had came for his sister. Quickly without a word he lunged for the other agent.

The agent tried to pull out of his gun in defense but it was already too late. Descole already had him pinned painfully against the tree trunk. The man choked and gagged as Descole forced his hands tightly around the man's neck.

"I thought I made it clear to Bronev that I would kill any man he would send after Herminia Layton!" the masked man threatened in a dark tone.

The man in black continued to choke, unable to respond with words due to his throat being squeezed closed.  
Descole wanted to strangle the man to death until he sensed someone behind him. He quickly dropped the agent in a crumbled heap just in time to see the reaming agent who was a teenager kick out his leg toward his head. Fortunately he was able to swiftly dodge the attack. He watched the teenage boy growl as he got in a fighting stance.

"You know you just signed your death wish, boy!" Descole said.

The teenager said nothing as he attacked with his fist only for the masked man to dodge the attack again and attack back. The two threw varying punches and kicks at each other, trying to land a blow on their evasive opponent. Finally Descole succeeded in his goal; he dodged the teenager's punch before delivering a kick to the boy's back.  
The teenage boy cried out as he crumbled to the ground; his hat and sunglasses falling off. He lifted up his head, revealing that he had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes.  
Descole took a short moment to examine the teenager glaring up at him; he had never seen the teenager among the agents before.

"Exactly who are you? Tell me or I'll leave you in a even worse state than your companions." the masked man threatened.

Unfortunately Descole had failed to see the boy was begin to gather up sand in one of his hands.

"The name is..." the boy began in a dark tone once his hand was full of sand, "Emmett Altava!"

Without warning Emmett threw the sand at Descole's face, temporarily blinding him.  
The masked man cursed to himself, hating that he let his guard down, granting the boy an opening. By the time his vision the boy and the two other agents were gone. Despite his loss Descole was just glad he managed to keep them away from his sister once again. He was fixing to leave until he heard his sister's voice cry out for her father. Deciding to see the scene unfold the masked man moved closer to the source of the sound. He climbed up one of the nearby trees and focused his brown eyes on the forest opening. There he was greeted with the sight of Herminia hugging her father.

"Father, I'm so glad you're alright!" the brown-headed girl said with a sigh.

"Of course I'm alright. Now why are you all the way out here?" Roland asked.

"Mother was worried sick about you. She said a group of mysterious men took you away." Herminia explained.

Not wanting his daughter to worry, the bearded man lied "Oh they were just old friends of mine. I was showing them around town."

Herminia frowned; she wanted to believe her father but deep down in her gut she felt like he was lying to her. If the men had been truly old friends of her father's then her mother wouldn't have been so concerned, in fact her mother wouldn't be worried at all.

Deciding to ask another question she asked "But mother said they were looking for me too. Why's that?"

Coming up with another lie Rolan replied "Oh they saw you a long time ago when you were still a baby and they wanted to see how you had grown. When I told them you were out they had given up."

Descole quietly scoffed to himself, he couldn't believe the bearded man was taking advantage of the fact that Herminia couldn't remember that she was adopted and was making her think she was her biological father. He was fixing to get angry over Roland lying to Herminia but then he stopped himself when he remembered he was doing the same thing. His sister doesn't know he's her brother and he wanted it to remain that way even if it means lying to his own blood.  
Herminia let out a deep sigh, knowing she couldn't press her father for anymore questions. She figured that either way her father would brush them all off.

"Alright, then let's go home to relieve mother of her worries." Herminia said.

Her father nodded in agreement. But as they were walking away Herminia managed to spot Descole hiding in the tree. She gasped quietly, wondering how long the masked man had been watching the scene and what the reason was for him being there in the first place. That was when she remembered the night he had saved her from the mysterious men. That was when her suspicions were confirmed, she knew her father's so-called friends had to be more of those men that tried to take her nine years ago.

 _"That means Descole came here to protect me again. But the question is why does he want to protect me?"_ she thought.

Before she could take her thought process any further she heard her father called out "Herminia, is everything alright?"

"Uh, yes! Don't worry I'm coming!" she replied, not wanting her father to know about the masked man.

She glanced once more at Descole, figuring he already knew she had spotted him. Very quietly she mouthed the words "Thank you." to the masked man before leaving the woods with Roland.


	8. Mask of Chaos

Chapter 8

Herminia groaned as she lifted her head up from the pillow on her bed. After her and Roland had returned home the teenage girl had collapsed in her bedroom out of exhaustion. Very groggily Herminia pushed herself into a sitting position, trying to figure out how long she had been passed out. She blinked and rubbed her brown eyes, trying to get a grasp on her blurry surroundings. When her vision finally cleared up she noticed that nightfall had already covered the town. At that moment Herminia gasped and quickly jumped off of her bed like a rocket, remembering how she had agreed to meet Randall and Angela. Without a word she quickly ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She straightened out her red vest and blue scarf as best as she could, both having gotten messed up when she had slept in her clothes.

Just as she was about to dash out the door she heard her mother exclaim "Herminia, what are you in a hurry for and at such a late hour?!"

The brown-headed girl clenched her teeth together nervously as she turned toward her mother.

"I'm just going to Randall's house. He wanted to show me and Angela something." she said.

Lucille frowned and placed her hand on her chest in concern. She had been worried about her daughter walking around town alone at night ever since she came home that one night with a busted lip and a swollen cheek. She could never forgive herself if something happened to her only child.  
Sensing her mother's distress Herminia walked over to her mother and embraced her in a loving hug. She didn't need words to insure her mother she would be fine; her hug was enough. After a few seconds she pulled out of the hug and began headed for the door. She turned toward her mother to give her one last smile of insurance, prompting her mother to give her one in return. Without another word the teenage girl left the house, beginning the trek to her best friend's home.

Herminia took in a deep breath as she could feel the cool breeze of the night around her. She felt like she had sometimes sat outside with someone in the past and they would be comforted by each other's presence. But she wasn't able to remember doing anything like that with her parents or her friends. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Angela approaching her with a smile.

"Glad to see you're on time this time." Angela said.

"Hey if you referring to that time when we were eight remember Randall did want to meet originally at the lake so I'm at no fault." Herminia replied.

Angela couldn't help but laugh at her friend's response. She really was thankful for Herminia being in her boyfriend's life. She remembered that ever since the brown-headed girl had moved to Stansbury she had always stuck by Randall's side. She even recalled one time when Herminia scolded Dalston when he had stolen Randall's glasses, convincing him to give the red-headed boy back his glasses.

"Randall is very lucky." she commented out loud, "He has a faithful best friend and a loving girlfriend."

"Which of us would be which?" Herminia joked with a playful smile.

Angela laughed as she threw one of her arms over Herminia's shoulder. She never understood why she and the brown-headed teenager never did become as close as friends as they felt they should be. Sometimes Herminia felt like a sister to both her and Randall, the protective sister that was always there to help them no matter what. She especially felt like that toward the teenage girl ever since the death of her older brother. That was when her thoughts strayed to Randall; she couldn't help but feel devastated and heartbroken if anything were ever to happen to him.

Without thinking Angela looked up at Herminia and asked "Herminia, can you promise me you'll always be there to protect Randall?"

The brown-heaired teenager was stunned from hearing this question. She wanted to ask what had brought the question upon her blond-haired friend but then she remembered how Angela's brother died. He had left on a expedition, promising to come back but a few weeks after his departure Angela's family had received a letter that he died from a cave he was exploring collapsing on him. Herminia took in a long deep pause, in her heart she could feel for Angela's loss. She felt like she also had experienced the loss of her own brother which left her confused since as far as she knew she was a only child.

Finally after a few thoughts Herminia smiled and said "Don't worry, Angela. I promise I will always be there for you and Randall."

Angela nodded her head before the two continued their walk silently. It didn't take long for the two girls to finally reach Randall's home.

"We shouldn't knock on the door knowing Randall's father." Herminia commented.

Angela agreed with her friend, remembering how Randall's father would scold his son for his love of archeology. She remembered one time when Randall's father was yelling at him to get his head out of the clouds and stop going off on expeditions with Herminia, seeing both archeology and the brown-headed girl as nothing more than distractions he needed to be disposed of.  
Deciding to take a look around the two girls made their way to the back of the house to see if they could find anyway.

Upon seeing what was laid out before her Herminia commented "Should have known Randall would have a puzzle waiting for me."

On the ground was four slingshots and four pebbles. The brown-headed teenager was able to easily deduce that she had to use the slingshots in the correct order so she could clear a path for the last rock to hit the bell. Using her puzzle solving skills she was able to figure out the order, causing the final rock she fired to hit the bell and cause the sound of ringing to fill the air.  
At that moment Randall opened up the door to his balcony, happy to see his two friends.

"You both made it! Glad to see you solved the puzzle I left!" Randall said.

"You take every chance to throw a puzzle at me don't you?" Herminia called up.

"Yes I do. Now come on up. You can use the vines growing on the wall to reach the balcony." he replied before walking back in his room.

Without a word both Angela and Herminia climbed up the vines and managed to get in his room. Once there Herminia was surprised at all the scattered books and papers that lay around her feet on the floor. She could tell her best friend had been busy since it looked like the room hadn't been cleaned up in ages. Her mind was curious at what he had been toiling away at to leave his room in such a such. When she turned to ask him the brown-headed girl stopped breathing and tumbled over some books lying in the floor, causing her to fall to the ground. There before her was Randall wearing a golden mask that looks liked a smiling opera face.

"R-R-Randall, is that t-t-ta-to-te-ta..." Herminia stuttered in shock, unable to form complete words.

The red-headed teenager removed the mask from his face to reveal his mischievous smirk.

"Your eyes don't deceive you, Herminia. This is indeed the legendary Mask of Chaos." he said as he helped his stunned friend stand back up.

"How did you find it?" she asked as she grasped ahold of the mask in her hands.

The brown-headed teenager could barely do anything to slow down her rapidly beating heart. She couldn't believe that there was actually a part of her that was excited about her friend's discovery. At that moment her eyes widened when it dawned on her; she was actually excited by archeology. She quickly attempted to brush away those thoughts, reminding herself how she had always found the subject boring and couldn't possible have an inkling of interest for it. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Randall took the mask from her hands.

Quietly he went over to one of his walls that was covered with a drape and pulled it down.  
Angela and Herminia were at a loss for words when they saw the wall was covered in many words, coordinates, calculations, and maps.

"I made sure to do all the research I could before showing you both. I've been studying the mask for months." Randall explained, "Once I figured out the puzzle behind the mask I knew it was time to reveal it's existence to you."

"What do you mean by puzzle?" Angela asked.

At that moment Randall flipped around the mask, revealing carvings on the inside of it.

"These are inscriptions that detail about a great treasure left behind the Azran. They lie in ancient ruins and the key to find those ruins lie at the Wall of Norwell." he explained.

Herminia didn't know why but an awful feeling began forming in the pit of her stomach. Deep down she felt like Randall shouldn't be investigating the mask. The more and more she heard about the Azran, the more they felt off with her. She felt the Azran were hiding something that nobody else knows about, something that was never meant for mankind.

"I don't know..." Herminia started to object.

"Come now, Herminia, you can't tell me you're not the least bit interested. I can tell there's a part of you that always felt drawn to the lore of the Azran. Why else do you study it the most?" the red-headed teenager said with a grin.

The brown-headed teenage girl remained silent, it was true that while a part of her despite being mysteriously bitter toward Azran the other part was drawn toward it. It sometimes felt like the Azran was a siren's song that no matter how hard she tried, she always found herself unable to resist it's lure. In fact she could already feel that part of her being drawn to the mask. Unable to give a reason as to not investigate the mask, Herminia gave into her temptations and agreed to go with Randall to the Wall of Norwell.

Using the same way they came in, Randall, Angela, and Herminia were able to escape the house without alerting anyone.  
As Randall walked he glanced over at his friend Herminia. He was very surprised to see the teenage girl's face was emotionless as her brown eyes were full of thoughts. He always felt there was some mysterious connection between the teenage girl and the Azran due to the fact the two seemed to meld together so perfectly. It made him wonder if Herminia was the one meant to unlock the mystery of the Azran Legacy. Directing his attention back in front of him he saw they were infront of the fence that blocked their path to the Wall of Norwell.

"Here, Herminia, help me get these broken fence planks out of the way." he said as he grabbed ahold of one.

Without a word Herminia ran over to him and helped him clear the path. Once the task was done the three teenagers silently walked down the path till finally they reached the legendary Azran ruins.

"This wall actually has a puzzle behind it. So, Herminia, do you like puzzles." Randall said as he gestured his hand toward the wall.

The brown-headed teenager examined the wall silently. She pressed her hand against the carvings and gasped when the wall began to glow and form a tile formation. A part of her was screaming to turn back, to not delve further into her curiosity but that part of her mind fell upon death ears. Placing her hand on one of the tiles she discovered she could slide it any direction, meaning it was a slide puzzle. It didn't take long for the teenage girl to easily solve the puzzle. When she saw what the solution was she gasped.

"This is..." she began.

"A map." Randall finished for her with a smirk, "I had solved this puzzle too and it's what led me to find the mask. But now that we have the mask, together the carvings on the inside of the map formed with the map before us now form coordinates that'll lead us to ancient Azran Ruins located in the desert. Think of it, this could be the greatest discovery ever! Herminia, you and I could unveil one of the Azran's greatest secrets!"

At that moment tears began to spill forth from Angela's eyes as she clenched her fists tightly. Without warning she grabbed the mask from Randall and took off running.  
Randall called out her named as he chased after, both worried for the cause of what made his girlfriend so disturbed and wanting to get ahold of the mask once again.

Herminia was fixing to chase after them until she heard a voice say "Don't even think about going to explore those ruins."

She turned around to see Descole walking out of the shadows of the darkness.

"Descole, what are you doing here?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

But the masked man did not answer his sister's question. Instead he only repeated his sentence in a much darker and threatening tone. Descole was doing the best to hide what he really was feeling and that was fear. He was already examining the carvings before Herminia and her friends showed up. When he had heard them coming he had hid himself to find out what they were doing there. When he heard Randall offering Herminia to explore the Azran Ruins with him his heart nearly had stopped. He was doing everything in his power to keep his sister away from the Azran Legacy; he wanted her to be freed from the tragedy it had placed on their family. But now much to his hatred it was luring in his sister, only making her even more at risk with Targent.

 _"First my parents and now my sister. The Azran won't stop till it destroys everything that is dear. No! I refuse to let them claim my sister as well. They can claim me, but not her."_ he thought to himself.

Herminia had grown tired of the masked man's silence; she was frustrated that all he had given her was only questions and never answers. She allowed a loud sigh to escape her mouth and rubbed her fingers against her forehead.

"Look, Descole, I don't have time for your nonsense. I need to find my friends." she said.

But what happened next she wasn't prepared for. Before she could even take a step Descole had instantly grabbed ahold of her shoulders and slammed her against the wall of the ruins. She cried out a bit in pain as she found herself face to face with the mysterious masked man.  
Descole had his teeth clenched together; he wanted beg for her not to go, beg not to lose his only sister. But he couldn't otherwise Herminia would know the secret he had been desperately trying to hide from her.

"You can't go. The Azran has only ever brought tragedy." he hissed in anger.

Herminia clenched her teeth as she struggled to free herself of Descole's grip only for him to tighten his grip on her shoulders so much that they were starting to hurt. She had never seen this side of the masked man before. Her mind raked through all the possibilities she could think of for why he didn't want her to go only to come up with one, that he feared for her. Unfortunately that conclusion only left her with the lingering question of why Descole cared for her so much; why he had always went out of his way just to make sure she was safe.

"Descole, I don't know what runs through your mind but I just want to know this. Why do you want to protect me?" she demanded in a strict tone, "Why is it that you care for me so much you're even going so far to threaten me just to prevent me from exploring those Azran Ruins! Tell me now, Descole! No more questions, I want answers!"

Silence of bitterness and sadness lingered in the air as the two siblings stared at each other, both with determination in their eyes. Finally and a bit hesitantly Descole slowly released his grip from his sister's shoulders. He believed he had let too much of his true emotions shine through and that Herminia was beginning to stumble upon his secret. That left him with a painful choice to make, one he hated with all his heart. He had to let her go explore the ruins.

Quietly he turned his back toward her and said "Don't say I didn't warn you." before walking away and disappearing into the shadows of darkness.

Herminia silently rubbed one of her now sore shoulders. She didn't know why but her heart ached a bit at the fact Descole chose to leave her instead of answering her question. She wanted to call out for his name but chose not to, convincing herself she shouldn't be concerned with someone she barely knew anything about. Deciding to go find her friends Herminia ran off with her heart aching in sadness as she did so.

It didn't take long for her to finally find Angela and Randall. She saw the two talking to each other as the embraced underneath the tree they were sitting under.

"I'm sorry, Randall. I just don't want to lose you like my brother." Angela sobbed as her hands still clung tightly onto the Mask of Chaos.

That was when all the pieces fell into place for Herminia. She now knew Angela was depressed because she feared she would lose Randall like how her brother died on the expedition he had went on. Very quietly she walked up to the two teenagers, remaining silent as to not interrupt their discussion.

"I know, Angela, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you." Randall said as he continued to hold his girlfriend in the embrace of his arms, "But I have to do this. Besides I promise this will be the last expedition I will go on. After that it's no more archeology for me."

Both Angela and Herminia were shocked at this revelation, they couldn't believe Randall was actually choosing to finally listen to his father.  
Angela bit her lip as she glanced down at the mask. She knew her boyfriend loved archeology with all of his heart and the fact he was giving into his father's demands depressed her. With a sigh she handed the mask to Randall, allowing him to have one last grand expedition before giving it up forever.

"Thank you, Angela." Randall said before kissing her on the cheek.

Angela smiled a bit as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Quietly she turned toward Herminia when she noticed the teenage girl standing next to them.

"Herminia, I'm counting on you to bring Randall back safe and sound." she said.

Herminia glanced over at the red-headed teenager to see him smiling at her while he gave her a thumbs up.

She couldn't help back smile back as she replied "Don't worry, Angela. I promise I'll let nothing happen to Randall."


	9. The Ruins

Chapter 9

Herminia silently packed up the supplies for the long trip she and Randall would need for their journey to the Azran Ruins. They were planning to travel by horse carriage to the desert and wanted to be prepared. She squeezed her brown eyes shut as she recalled Descole's warning about the Azran. She didn't know what could have prompted the masked man to claim that the Azran only ever brought tragedy. Unconsciously she rubbed at one of her shoulders were he had gripped her tightly when he had pinned her against the wall. Finally she took in a deep breath before opening her eyes and slinging her full bag over on her shoulder. Herminia was still curious about Descole's words but she chose to ignore them, all she wanted to do was get the expedition over with. Without a word she left her room and went downstairs to see her parents waiting for her.

Lucille smiled as she went over to her daughter and pulled her into a loving hug.

"I want both you and Randall to travel safe now you hear?" she said.

Herminia nodded her head in understanding.

"And be careful. Those ruins can be very dangerous due to instability and traps." Roland pointed out.

The teenage girl once again nodded her head. She shared one last embrace with her parents before leaving the house.

At the edge of town she spotted the horse carriage with Randall, Angela, and Henry loading in the supplies. She greeted the three of them with a smile before loading her bag into the back as well.

"Well that should be everything. Henry please look after things for me while me and Herminia are gone." Randall said.

Henry did a small bow as he replied "Of course Master Randall and I hope Herminia will treat you well. Lady Angela and I shall be waiting for the return of both of you."

Herminia was surprised when she heard this, prompting her to gently pat her ear to make sure she had heard correctly. She couldn't believe the Henry had addressed her by her first name. She knew for the most of the time she knew him he had always referred to her as Layton. It made her wonder if the dirty-blond-haired teenager had decided to put away his suspicions and cold nature toward her so that he could have a happy appearance to send Randall off with for his last expedition. She didn't have much longer to think about it when she heard Randall mention how they were fixing to leave.

But before the red-headed teenager could climb into the wagon he exclaimed "Oh I almost forgot!"

Without haste he dashed over to his girlfriend Angela. With a smile he had her open up the palm of her hand just so he could place an old ancient necklace he had found at a dig site once.

"I want you to have this Angela. When I get back I have something very important to tell you." he said.

Angela looked up toward the teenager's face, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to start pouring. Her mind remembered back to when she was four and she was begging and bawling for her brother not to leave her only for him to give her a brave smile while insuring he would come home safely. She quickly banished her thoughts of dread from her mind, wanting to be optimistic. She forced a small smile on her face before sharing a short yet sweet kiss with the red-headed teenager.

Without a word Randall climbed up onto the wagon and grabbed ahold of the horse's reins. Both he and Herminia waved goodbye before he jerked the reins, prompting the horse to start galloping away. Herminia took a glance back at the town of Stansbury as she watched it grow smaller and smaller in the distance. While a part of her felt excited for the new expedition she was on with Randall, another part of her still feared Descole's words.

The journey to the desert took many days. At times the two teenagers would camp at night while the two reflected on their cherished childhood memories with each other, reminiscing about all the adventures they shared. Finally after five days after they had left Stansbury, they had arrived at the ancient ruins of the Azran civilization. Before them was a large cave that led into the ground, leading down into darkness.

"After all our traveling, we're finally here." Randall said with a sigh of content.

Herminia glanced down nervously at the dark cave, remembering how she had promised Angela she wouldn't let anything happen to her best friend.

"Are you sure we should be going down there? I promised Angela I wouldn't let anything happen to you." she asked with a concerned frown.

She turned to face her friend only to see the red-headed teenager laugh a little bit.

"Oh come now, Herminia, we'll both be fine. Besides the sooner we get out of the ruins, the sooner we can get back to town so I can ask Angela to marry me." he replied.

At that moment the brown-headed teenage girl gasped as she slapped both of her hands over her mouth. She was doing everything in her power to contain the happiness she was feeling at that moment. She couldn't believe her best friend was finally going to ask the question she had been waiting ages for him to do. She always felt Randall and Angela were a great couple, finding it hard to believe Randall hadn't proposed earlier. She lowered her hands to reveal an excited smile.

"If that's the case then let's go!" Herminia said, trying to resist the urge to jump up and down with joy.

Randall couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's enthusiasm before they both finally entered the entrance to the ruins.  
The two teenagers examined their surroundings in awe as they traversed the ancient ruins. Lit torches hung from the walls to give them light to fortunately avoid falling into the dark pits of the abyss. Unlike the scorching air of the desert, inside the ruins was filled with chilling air, causing it to give off a eerie atmosphere.  
Herminia shivered a bit while rubbing her arms a bit in an attempt to make her body feel warmer.

"You know Father said ruins usually have traps, but I don't see..." the teenager girl started to say but was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound.

The two teenagers' hearts nearly stopped and their eyes widened in fear when they saw a large boulder speeding toward them. Wasting no time the two quickly ran into a full sprint, trying to find a escape route. They panted as they kept running, neither one daring to look back at the rapidly speeding boulder that was getting closer to them. Luckily for them they finally managed to jump into a pathway off on the side. The two teens panted and huffed as they kept their tired bodies propped up by their hands and knees.

"You just had to say something." Randall said, taking a few deep breaths in between a few words.

Herminia glared at her friend while she was still panting and huffing; her body desperately trying to return its breathing pattern to normal. Unfortunately the two teens didn't get to rest long because out of the ground near them busted out a bandaged arm. Fearfully the teens jumped back up on their feet as the arm pushed on the ground, revealing the body of a mummy crawling out of the ground. The mummy snarled and groaned as it stood up and began making its way toward the two teenagers. Shortly after that more mummies came crawling out of the ground, all of them intent on catching the intruders.

"We got to get out of here!" Herminia yelled.

Randall nodded his head rapidly, fully agreeing with his best friend.  
Without thinking the two teenagers dashed off in separated directions, the only thing on their minds was to escape from the mummies.  
Herminia's heart kept racing out of fear as her mind was trying to comprehend how it was possible for mummies to actually be real. She had always thought of them just as myths created by the Egyptians but now she could see she was clearly wrong. As the brown-headed teenager ran she noticed piles of dirt that could be dug into. At that moment her mind formulated a plan.

She clenched her teeth as she pulled off her backpack while still trying to run from the mummies. Quickly she slipped out her giant shovel the was held in place by the straps. Herminia instantly stopped in her tracks when she spotted another dirt pile. Her brown eyes glanced up toward the mummies still chasing her. A mischevious smirk formed on her face when she saw they were at the perfect distance to put her plan in action. Wasting no time she stabbed her shovel into the dirt and began digging. With only a few digs she was able to make a hole. Pleased with its depth she slipped back on her backpack and took off running. The mummies continued chasing after her but because of this they failed to notice the hole the teenage girl had created. At that moment the mummies cried out as each of them fell into the hole one by one.

"Yes! Another puzzle solved! Now to find Randall!" she cheered, happy to see her plan had gone off without a hitch.

After traveling through many rooms, Herminia finally managed to find Randall.  
The red-headed teenager waved his arms in the air, relieved to see his friend was able to safely escape the mummies as well. But one problem still stood in there way, the two of them were separated by a room full of water that had floating blocks.

"Herminia, can you find a way to reach me?" he called out.

The brown-headed teenager girl took a moment to scan the room. She placed her hand against her chin in thought, taking a moment to think about her situation. She thought about how the blocks were moving around on the water, changing positions. At that moment her eyes snapped open and a smirk formed on her face; she had figured out how to solve the puzzle.

"Hang on, Randall! I'm coming!" she yelled.

Not wasting a second Herminia ran toward the floating blocks, making sure each one was in the correct position to lead her to the right platform. It didn't take long for her to reach the other side of the room where Randall was waiting for her.

"Amazing, Herminia. You were able to solve all those puzzles left by the Azran." he commented.

"Randall, I wouldn't say it's really much of a great feat. I was just doing what need to be done." Herminia replied.

The red-headed teenager decided to let the discussion die and not argue with his friend. They still needed to accomplish their goal of finding the great secret the Azran left behind in the ruins. Without a word the two teens continued their trek deep into the ruins. After a while they had stumbled upon a empty room. Both Herminia and Randall had a sinking about the room. Unfortunately their fears were confirmed true when at that moment the walls opened up to reveal more mummies except these mummies spun with blades attached to their bodies.

"They're like tops of death! I knew we shouldn't have came here!" Herminia yelled.

"Oh so now you're objecting! I didn't quite hear any objections at the entrance!" Randall snapped back, a bit angry that now his friend was choosing to berate him for his decision.

"Randall, why are you talking about objections?! I'm not a lawyer!" the brown teenage girl replied in confusion.

Before the two teenagers could argue anymore they saw the mummies rapidly approaching at top speeds.  
Thinking fast Herminia managed to spot a couple of old swords sticking it the ground. Quickly she grabbed one and tossed the other one to her friend. The two teens clenched their teeth as their swords clashed against the spinning blades from the mummies. Herminia frantically blocked every single attack and managed to stab a few mummies. Randall was doing the same, using all of his strength to insure his survival. But then at that moment when the red-headed teenager tried to block another incoming blade, his sword broke in half. He gasped in fear before quickly ducking down to dodge the spinning blades.

Having taken notice what happened Herminia quickly ran over and clashed her sword with the mummy's. Causing the rest of the mummies to direct their attention toward her. The teenage girl jumped back with her hand clutched tightly around the handle of her sword, ready to fight with all her might. Right as she was fixing to charge toward the mummies, her brown eyes examined the ground to see carvings on the floor and that the mummies had pegs below their bodies that followed the lines.

"Of course, that's it." she muttered to herself.

Without a word she began running around the room, prompting the mummies to follow her.  
Randall was confused by the teenage girl's actions until he noticed the carvings on the floor as well. He watched as Herminia guided the mummies along the lines, trying to figure out what her plan was.  
Herminia kept running till finally she stopped next to a wall. She checked the floor to make sure the mummies were positioned correctly before grinning in satisfaction. The mummies charged forward toward the teenage girl but because of the carvings on the floor, instead of getting her they all ended up falling into a pit she was standing next to.

"Well glad to see that's over with. I can't believe you noticed the carvings before me." Randall said while dusting off his purple jacket.

"I'm just glad that they're gone now. With how much this room is guarded I think it's a safe bet that the next room is the last room." Herminia commented.

The red-headed teenager agreed with his friend's statement before they traveled to the next room. The two teens opened their mouths in awe when they saw the room they entered was filled with lush greenery and water.

"Look, Herminia! There's the last door!" Randall proclaimed as he pointed his index finger toward a door that was on the other side of the room.

He pulled the Mask of Chaos of his backpack while his hearted pounded with excitement. He couldn't wait to see the great thing the mysterious ancient race had left behind for the world. Wasting no time he and Herminia began making their way across the rock platforms on the water. But at that moment, the unexpected happened.  
Herminia gasped as she felt one of the rock platforms under her foot began to sink when the room started rumbling, it was the ruin's last trap. The water started draining and platforms began falling into the large pit that started to form. Herminia held her breath as she ran across the remaining rock platforms, successfully managing to reach the other side of the room.

She turned around, about to comment about how she and Randall had cut it close but much to her horror her best friend wasn't on the platform with her.  
Randall ran across the crumbling platforms as best as he could, trying to reach safety where his friend was waiting. Unfortunately the platform he was standing on instantly crumbled. In an attempt to survive he ran and jumped for safety. But sadly his jump was too short. The red-headed teenager cried out as he began to fall toward the abyss.  
Wasting no time Herminia quickly lunged her body onto the edge of the platform she was on and grabbed ahold of Randall's arm. She clenched her teeth as she was trying to use all her strength to pull up her best friend to safety. But much to her horror she learned she did not have the strength to do so.

"Randall, I can't pull you up! Drop the mask and give me your other hand!" she cried out.

At that moment Randall lowered his head in sadness.

"I was so close." he muttered under his breath.

Herminia clenched her teeth as her other hand as painfully clung onto the edge of the platform to prevent herself from falling into the abyss as well.

The red-headed teenager lifted up his head; his brown eyes full of determination.

"Take the mask, Herminia! You must solve the last puzzle! Tell Angela I'm sorry!" he said.

"No, Randall! The mask isn't worth your life! Now please drop it and give me your other hand!" Herminia pleaded.

But Randall did not listen to her plea. Instead he began lifting up the mask toward his best friend for her to grab.  
Before anymore words could be said the red-headed teenager slipped from his friend's grasp.  
Herminia's scream was caught in her throat as she reached out her arm, watching her friend disappear into the dark abyss with his face full of fear. Her mouth quivered as her hand dangling off of the edge of the platform began to shake. Unable to hold in all her feelings she unleashed an agonizing scream of Randall's name. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt tears begin to form in them. She had broken her promise to Angela; she was unable to save her best friend.

With a heavy heart she stood back up and directed her attention toward the locked door. Herminia figured the least she could do was fulfill her friend's dying wish. Silently she went over to the door and solved the puzzle. Her heart felt like breaking when she saw the door opened, seeing the door didn't even need the mask. She took in a shaky breath as the entered the room where Randall claimed the Azran's greatest secret inside. Once in the room she was greeted with a pile of gold treasure. She took a few steps toward the treasure before collapsing on her hands and knees.

"Randall, was this really worth losing your life over?" she sobbed loudly with her head hung low.

The teenage girl kept crying for what felt like to her hours. She now understood Descole's warning about the Azran.

"I'm so sorry, Randall. I'm so sorry, Descole." she whispered to herself as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

A few days later Angela was waiting nervously at the edge of town with Henry. She knew it should be around time for her two friends to finally return from their journey. She was getting worried until she spotted Herminia approaching in the distance. She let a gasp of happiness escape her mouth as she turned toward Henry who was also wearing relieved smile. Not wasting a second the two teenagers ran up toward the brown-headed teenage girl.

"Ah, Herminia, you're back!" Angela exclaimed as she pulled her friend into a hug.

But when she pulled back her smile began to disappear when she saw no sign of Randall and the fact Herminia's face had a depressed expression. Her heart began racing in fear, knowing what she was seeing was terrible signs.

"Where's Randall?" the blond-headed teenager asked.

Herminia remained silent as she lowered her head.  
Tears began to pour from Angela's eyes as she grabbed Herminia by the shoulders and shook her a bit.

"Herminia, where's Randall?!" she demanded loudly in a panicking tone.

At that moment the brown-headed teenage girl lifted up her head with her eyes full of regret before answering "Randall is gone."

Angela gasped as she immediately let go of the teenage girl's shoulders. She placed her hands over her mouth to quiet her sobbing. First she had lost her brother and now she had lost her boyfriend.  
Even Henry was devastated by this news; he had deeply cared for Randall and to receive the news that his friend was dead was earth shattering. But then without warning both he and Angela gasped in fear when they saw a frozen expression form on Herminia's face as she collapsed on the ground. Quickly he ran over to her and propped her back up.

"What's happening to her?" Angela asked in worry.

"She's... she's gone into shock! Quick, Angela, get the doctor!" Henry yelled.

Later that day Herminia was back at her home. Because she was still in her shocked state she was sitting silently on her bed with her face void of expression.  
Lucille was clinging onto her husband's shoulder while the doctor was shining a light in their daughter's eyes. She felt like crying when her daughter showed no response to the light.  
The doctor let out a deep sigh before placing the flashlight in his bag and picking it up.

He walked over to Lucille and Roland and said "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Layton but it seems due to witnessing the death of her friend your daughter has entered a acute stress reaction. She should be alright in a few days but at the moment she's not aware of anything. She can't even hear us or knows we're here. All I recommend is to try to get her to eat to avoid starvation."

With that said the doctor, Lucille, and Roland left the room and closed the door, leaving Herminia alone. But unknown to them, outside the window was none other than Descole. He had been hiding on top of the roof and managed to hear the whole discussion. Wanting to get inside the masked man slipped his fingers underneath the window, thankful that Herminia hadn't closed it all the way. Very quietly he pushed the window open and climbed into his sister's bedroom.

"Layton." he whispered, testing to see if what the doctor said was true.

Sure enough Herminia did not respond; she didn't even glance at the masked man.  
Descole wanted to scream in rage at that moment. He blamed the Azran for the state his sister was in just like how he blamed them for his parents' kidnapping. He wished he had never let his sister go with her friend to explore the ruins. If he had stopped her then Randall wouldn't had been dead and Herminia wouldn't be in shock. He vowed to himself that he would never again let his sister be apart of the Azran and that if she tried to unlock it's mystery again next time he wouldn't hesitate to do everything in his power to stop her.

Without even thinking Descole walked over to his sister's bed and sat down next to her. He took off his mask and black hat, revealing the brown eyes and brown hair he had always kept hidden from the teenage girl. Very gently he pulled his sister into a comforting embrace and rested his chin on top of her head. His embrace around Herminia tightened a bit when she still did not respond. Descole squeezed his eyes shut as he felt some tears that managed to escape his eyes streak down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Herminia." he finally whispered in a slightly shaky voice.


	10. Heal a Broken Heart

Chapter 10

A few days had passed since Randall's death. Herminia eventually did recover from her shocked state like the doctor said but she still wasn't okay. The teenage girl sat silently at her desk in her science class, refusing to talk to anyone. She had closed her heart off to everyone even her parents, blaming herself for her friend's death. Because of this nobody tried to reach out to help Herminia except for her parents. But whenever her parents tried to help her she would always turn them away. The brown-headed teenager buried her face in her arms as she leaned on top of her desk, barely paying attention to the science teacher's lesson. The horrific scene of Randall falling into the dark pit constantly played over and over in her mind. She squeezed her brown eyes shut as her fingers clenched into fists.

Sitting in the desk next to her was a concerned Clarence. The wavy-haired teenager frowned at the state he saw the teenage girl was in. He couldn't imagine how devastated Herminia was from the experience but he knew she was no longer the cheerful teenager that use to share joyful chats with him. Clarence let out a sigh as he returned his attention to the teacher, but no matter what he still found his thoughts traveling to how he could help Herminia smile again. It didn't take long for the bell to finally ring, signifying the end of class.

Herminia began silently placing her books in her bag, not wanting to talk to anyone. But right as she was fixing to put on her backup she heard two students gossiping to each other about Randall.

"Still can't believe Randall Ascot is dead." one of the students whispered.

"I heard some people say that Layton girl killed him. That she did it out of hatred since he always dragged her on his trips." the other student said.

"Hmm. I suppose that makes sense for her to kill Randall. She never did like archeology." the first student commented.

At that moment Herminia felt herself being overwhelmed by two emotions, rage and sadness. Without a word she ran out of the classroom as fast as she could, leaving behind her backpack. She ran through the hallways as fast as she could, biting her lip when she could hear more students gossiping about her friend's death. She wanted to escape it all; she hated all of their accusing whispers toward her. The brown-headed teenager ran out to the school courtyard and went over to a group of trees. She pressed her back against the one of the tree's trunk before slumping down to the ground with a frown. Herminia held her knees against her chest before lowering her head and allowing the quiet sobs escape her mouth.

 _"How could they be so heartless? How dare they gossip about something so tragic!"_ she thought to herself.

She kept crying to herself, wanting nothing more than for the pain in her heart to stop. Herminia felt like she had been sitting in the shades with only the sound of her sobs to keep her company until she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. She lifted her head up to see Clarance with a worried expression painted on his face while in one of his hands he held her backpack.

"You forgot your backpack so I decided to do what any gentlemen would do by returning it to you." he said with a small smile.

Though his smile quickly faded when he saw the teenage girl turn her head away and lowered it where she was staring at the ground. Clarence knew that ever since Herminia had managed to recover from her shocked state she had chosen to become selectively mute. He hadn't heard her utter a word a single word ever since she started going to school again. Even when the science teacher would do roll call or ask a question, Herminia would only nod her head before hiding her face away in her arms. Clarence bit his lip as he kneeled down on the ground next to Herminia, setting her backpack down next to her.

"So, Herminia, the school year is going to end in a few weeks and teachers are advising students to start sending out their requests for exams." he started as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

He wasn't sure how to approach the brown-headed teenager in her current state so he decided to do the only thing he did with her and that was small talk.

"I've already sent in my exam." the wavy-haired teen continued, "I'm going to be attending Gressenhellar University with my major as science. Well that is if I get the confirmation letter that I passed the exam."

But the teenage boy frowned when Herminia still didn't respond; she didn't even give him a glance in acknowledgement. Clarence was deeply saddened by this; he didn't like seeing the teenage girl locked away from the world. He wanted her to do anything, just something to show that she was willing to take the path of healing. He quietly swallowed a hard lump in his throat, debating about the next thing he should say to the teenage girl. He knew he would have to chose his words carefully otherwise he would unintentionally make the situation worse. Finally after thinking about what he wanted to do next he took in a deep sigh.

 _"I just want some reaction out of her. Something to show me there's still apart of her alive on the inside."_ he thought to himself.

Gathering up all of his nerves Clarence leaned over toward Herminia, firmly planting one of his hands on the ground to prevent himself falling over. Using his free hand he brushed as much of Herminia's hair away from her face, exposing her cheek. Finally without a word he leaned his head forward and gently kissed her on the cheek. As he did this he heard a surprised gasp managing to escape from the teenage girl's mouth. When he pulled away he was glad that she did have a form of reaction toward his action but was still disappointed to see she still didn't give him eye contact.

"Herminia, I know you're hurting but..." he started, his voice started to sound like he was on the verge of crying, "I just want to hear your voice again. I care for you and I'm willing to help you. Please don't turn me away. It pains me to see you like this. I still remember what you had said that one day."

For a few moments the two teenagers sat in nothing but silence, neither wanting to speak up. Seeing this Clarence let out a small sigh of defeat, Herminia had closed her heart off to even him as well. Knowing this fact broke the teenage boy's heart since he had started to care for Herminia over the months he had known her. He knew he no longer had simple crush on her anymore; he had developed genuine feelings for her. Figuring there was nothing else he could do Clarence slowly got off of the ground. He took one last glance at the teenage girl still curled up in the shadows before walking away with sadness looming over him.

After Clarence was gone Herminia finally lifted up her head. She took her hand and gently held it against the cheek that the teenage boy had kissed. It pained her to not respond to him and tell him how she had grown to care for him as well. But she chose to remain silent because of the fact it reminded her of Randall. It pained her when she thought back to all the times Randall teased her about her crush on Clarence. She even remembered how on their trip to the ruins she had talked to her friend about she had finally realized her crush on Clarence had indeed formed into love like he predicted. Herminia wasn't sure how she was suppose to pursue her feelings when all it did was remind her of the friend she had failed to protect. She began wiping away her tears when she heard the bell ring for her next class. Knowing that she still had school matters to attend to she put on her backpack and began her trek to her next class.

Later that day Herminia was sitting alone at the lake. She didn't feel like confronting her parents once again and figured the lake was a perfect spot to be alone. She squeezed her eyes shut when the memory of Randall's death replayed in her mind once again. All she wanted was her pain to end so she could finally be in peace.

 _"I wish we never went to the ruins. I wish Randall never found that mask. I wish there never was any Azran!"_ she thought to herself.

At that moment upon thinking about the ancient civilization her sadness transformed into hatred. She hated the ancient civilization with all her heart now, blaming them for the loss of her friend. Unable to contain her anger she scooped up some rocks lying next to her and started viciously throwing them into the lake. She wanted to cry; she wanted to scream. When she tried to pick up the last rock Herminia was unaware of the rock's jagged edges. When her hand grasped around it she yelped in pain and immediately dropped it. Herminia opened up her eyes to see a giant bleeding gash across her palm.

 _"You Azran just want me to feel nothing but pain do you?!"_ she bitterly thought, _"You took my closest friend!"_

Finally she fell to her knees sobbing while holding her hand against her chest. Because of this she was unable to hear the footsteps approaching her. She didn't know someone was there until she heard a voice call out her name At that moment the teenage girl's eyes snapped wide open and she spun around to be greeted by none other than Clarence. She raised one of her brows in confusion, a part of her having expected Descole. She felt guilty how she had left things off with the masked man since their last encounter. He was only warning her about the Azran but she had chose to ignore his warning.  
Clarence gasped when he saw the bleeding hand Herminia was holding against her chest.

"Herminia, you're hurt!" he exclaimed.

Without hesitation he quickly dropped to his knees and took a firmly ahold of the teenage girl's injured hand.

"I better treat this now. It's bleeding pretty bad." Clarence noted upon examining it.

Without a word he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and ripped off a strip. He didn't care if he was ruining one of his shirts; he just wanted to make sure Herminia's hand was tended to. Without a word he soaked it a bit in the lake water before he began cleaning away the blood from the wound. His brown eyes glanced up a few times to see Herminia flinched while her teeth were clenched together in pain. Finally when he got the wound cleaned up he tore another strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and tied it around the brown-headed girl's hand.

"There that should do it. You really should be more careful you know." he said with a smile.

But much to his sadness the teenage girl turned her head away and didn't utter a single word. He bit his lip as he stared down at the ground, wishing Herminia had thanked him for his kindness. He wanted to do anything to see her smile and speak again but he wasn't sure how he could convince the teenage girl to open up her heart once more. Gathering up his courage he decided to confront her once again about the problem.

"Herminia, you can't live like this forever. Randall wouldn't have wanted it this way." he said.

At that moment the brown-headed girl's body stiffened instantly, revealing to Clarence he may have accidentally struck a nerve. His fears were confirmed he saw her stand up silently. When Herminia tried to jerk her hand out of his grip he clung onto it tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"I'm not going to let go, Herminia. I backed down last time, but this time I won't!" he said in a stern tone, "I can't stand to see you like this! Where's the Herminia I use to know?"

Upon hearing those words the teenage girl stopped struggling. Hearing those words made Herminia's heart ache in pain even worse than it already did. She wasn't meaning to force Clarence away with her actions; she was only wanting to seek refuge from the memories of Randall.  
The wavy-haired teen stood up with determination in his eyes. Placing as firm grip on both of Herminia's shoulders he managed to spin her around where she was facing him.

"Herminia, seeing you shut yourself away from everyone breaks my heart." he began, "I only want you to be happy and I'm offering you my help. You know how much it hurts to see you turn me away."

Silently he moved one of his hands underneath Herminia's chin and tilted it upward a bit so the teenage girl could face him better.

"I can't imagine the pain you're going through but I want to give you the first step in the path of healing. I want to because..." he said, taking a pause to release a shaky breath before continuing, "I love you."

Without a word he leaned his head forward and pressed his lips firmly against the brown-headed girl's.  
Herminia's eyes widened in shock at both the teenage boy's words and action. But it wasn't long before she slowly closed her eyes as well. Herminia felt like the kiss she was sharing with Clarence took a heavy weight off of her shoulders that needed to be removed. Clarence truly cared about her and she wanted healing.  
Clarence slowly pulled back from the kiss after a few seconds, prompting Herminia to open her eyes but only half way.  
At that moment the teenage boy began to blush and removed his hand from Herminia's chin so he could rub the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm sorry I sort of acted on impulse there. I guess I'll be leaving you alone now." he muttered nervously.

He removed his hand from the teenage girl's shoulder and turned his back toward her. But before he could take a step he heard Herminia call out his name. Upon hearing this he instantly froze, not only had the teenage girl spoke but she had also called out his named. Clarence turned around only to be greeted by the brown-headed girl throwing her arms around his neck and tackling him to the ground.

"I love you too." Herminia said before kissing the teenage boy with tears streaking down her cheeks.

Clarence's eyes were wide at first in surprise but then he slowly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the teenage girl before kissing back.

But unaware to the two teens they weren't alone. Hiding behind the tree trunk was none other than Descole. He was shocked when he had accidentally stumbled upon Herminia and Clarence. At first he thought the teenage boy was another agent from Targent who had come to take his sister that is until he saw Herminia tackle Clarence to the ground and kiss him. Now the masked man felt conflicted at the idea his sister had fallen in love. He didn't know why but he found it so strange to see her one day being a skilled fencer and the next to see her on the ground kissing a guy he didn't even know.

Many thoughts were traveling through Descole's head at this revelation and he blamed all of them on his brotherly instincts. Upon further examination of the couple the masked man noted how happy his sister was looking. He still had the image burned in his mind when he saw her a few days ago when she was in her so much of a shocked state that she wasn't aware of surroundings at all even when he had snuck in her room and embraced her.

"Perhaps that boy is what she truly needs now. I can't stay with her without giving away my identity." he muttered to himself.

Being careful not to be spotted he took one last glance at his sister and her new-found boyfriend. He knew that all she needed to recover from the tragedy of losing her best friend was for someone else to be there to mend her broken heart. Without knowing it a small smile formed on his face.

"I may not know your name, boy. But take good care of my sister." he whispered quietly, "And if you hurt her I'll hunt you down and make you suffer."

With that said he quietly walked away, leaving the happy couple in peace. Descole decided that he would return to his former activities of studying the Azran to find a way to get revenge on Targent, seeing that his sister would be taken care of. But he still planned to check in on her in the future.

The next day Herminia took in a deep sigh as she sat down at a desk. There were a few other students in the classroom in desks as well but for the most part the classroom was empty. A man in a red suit was holding a pile of papers and placing them on the desks where students sat at. The brown-headed teenager took in a deep breath as the papers were slapped down on her desk. On the top of the papers it read "Gressenhellar University Entrance Exam." Grabbing firmly ahold of her pencil she began filling out the necessary information on the front page. She only paused when she came to the section that asked for her major.

 _"Randall you were right even though I didn't want to admit it in the past deep down I truly do love the subject. I'm not only going to pursue this carrier because I love it but also because I will pursue it in memory of you. And then I will share it with the world, just like you did with me."_ she thought to herself.

Without any hesitation or second thoughts the teenage girl wrote down in the Major section the word "Archeology."


	11. Gressenhellar University

Chapter 11

"Herminia, you don't want to be late for your first day of class!" Clarence called out as he threw on a white jacket.

The teenage boy had changed his causal attire to a white jacket, and orange button-up shirt with a black tie, brown pants, and black shoes. It had been have few months since Randall's death. Both Herminia and Clarence had passed their entrance exams and were accepted into Gressenhellar University. But this meant that the two teenagers had to move to London which Clarence considered a good thing due to the depression that kept hanging over the brown-headed girl's head over the death of her friend. Wanting to be close to their daughter, Lucille and Roland Layton had moved to London as well.

"I'll be there in a second, Clarence! Just touching up a few final things!" Herminia called out from a closed door.

Ever since the two teenagers moved on campus, Clarence offered his girlfriend to live with him. His family had paid for one of the campus apartments when he suggested how it would help the Laytons save money due to them not being too wealthy. It was only a few seconds before finally the teenage girl came out of the room and what Clarence saw made him blush brightly.  
Herminia's hair was no longer held back in a messy pony tail, instead her hair was cut and styled where her curls formed elegant waves and she had some wavy bangs hanging on the side of her face.

"I figured since this is my first day at class that I would finally do something about my hair so I took everyone's advice by cutting it and making it look nice." she said with a smile as she pushed a loose strand behind her ear.

Clarence was speechless at the sight of Herminia's new hairstyle and upon further examination he saw the teenage girl had in fact changed her entire wardrobe. She now wore a white blouse the had a turtle-neck-like collar except it was much wider, a red button-up vest, a brown skirt, black heels, and finally a red-newsboy cap that rested atop of her head.  
The red-headed boy opened and closed his mouth but he was unable to find the words to say.  
Seeing the stunned expression on her boyfriend's face Herminia began to laugh.

"Honestly, Clarence, I hadn't expected you to be so taken with my formal attire." she giggled, "I thought you would expect that I would naturally dress the part as a university student.

Finally managing to snap out of his shock the teenage boy rubbed the back of his neck before saying "Ah sorry, Herminia. I guess I was so use to seeing your old attire I wasn't expecting the sudden change. But I suppose it is in line with your lady nature."

The brown-headed girl let out one last laugh before gathering up her bag and leaving the apartment with Clarence. She didn't want to confess to her boyfriend that she was actually a little bit nervous about beginning her path to becoming an archeologist. She wasn't quite sure if she would do too well due to the fact she hadn't completely paid attention to her subject due to her formerly trying to convince herself that she had no interest in it. Another thing she worried about was the dreaded thought of having to hear about the Azran once more. She still never wished to hear the ancient civilization's name ever again due to the incident at the ruins but she knew the chances of avoiding the Azran were slim by choosing archeology as her major.

"Don't be so scared, Herminia." Clarence said as he rubbed his girlfriend's shoulder while he walked next to her, "I can tell you're a bit scared you might have to listen to a certain subject, but don't worry. If you ever start feeling depressed just know I'll always be here to talk to you."

Herminia smiled as she placed her hand over the teenage boy's and nodded her head. She had promised Randall that she would learn all about archeology and then she would share it with the world. After a bit of walking the couple had to part ways due to them having different classes and waved goodbye to each other. Herminia took in a deep breath when she finally found herself standing in front of the entrance to her archeology class.

 _"Alright this is it, Herminia. No turning back now."_ she thought to herself.

Without anymore thoughts she entered the classroom. Once inside she was greeted by the sight of a short, elderly man with a gray beard and moustache, wearing a brown suit with a blue tie.

"Um excuse me." Herminia started catching the attention of the man, "Are you by any chance Dr. Andrew Schrader?"

The man let out a hearty laugh before patting the teenage girl on the back.

"Why yes I am and you must be, Herminia Layton. I must say your exam results were certainly impressive. Truly the signs of a professor in the making." he said.

"Yes indeed. Someone once told me I did had what it takes to become a professor and I did agree with him that Professor Layton has such a nice ring to it." Herminia replied with a smile, recalling a what her best friend had told her that one day.

"Well I would love to discuss more things but I must be getting class started since you were the last student I was waiting for to arrive. Please take a seat." Dr. Schrader said before walking over the front of the class.

Not wanting to hold up the class any longer the teenage girl took a seat in one of the empty spots. Looking over to her left she found herself sitting next to a dirty-blonde haired teenager that had brown eyes with a small goatee on his chin while wearing a blue jacket, a white shirt, brown pants, and black shoes. Looking over to her right she saw was a teenage girl with slicked back black hair, purple eye-shadow, wearing a pink blouse, blue pants, and black heels.

"I swear if that old man doesn't get on with his lesson I'll miss my fourteen-o'clock hair styling. My hair becomes a disaster if not properly tended to." the girl with slicked-back hair hissed.

"You know, Pauline, some of us here are actually here to learn." the dirty-blonde haired boy snapped in annoyance.

Before Herminia could say anything, the entire class had fallen silent when Dr. Schrader began speaking. All the students got out their respective archeology books and began to listen intently for what the teacher had to say. Herminia kept her brown-eyes focused on her book, trying to absorb as much information as possible. Occasionally during the lesson she would glance at the boy next to her. She didn't know why but apart of her was reminded of Randall and because of this she was drawn to the teenage boy, wondering what his name could be and if he loved archeology as much as her best friend did.

It was about an hour and a half later when Dr. Schrader's lesson finally came to an end. Herminia watched as Pauline hastily gathered up all of her books, but because she wasn't paying attention she tripped over a chair and fell to the ground.  
Pauline pushed herself off the floor and screamed when she noticed a few giant strands of hair was sticking out of place. With a snarl she quickly jumped up on her feet and spun around to face a confused Herminia who was still sitting in her chair.

"You, who are you?" she yelled.

"Um... Herminia Layton." the brown-headed girl answered with a bit of hesitancy.

"Well, Layton! I'm very angry that you tripped me and ruined my beautiful hair! You know my looks are everything but you obviously was jealous of that and tripped me!" the black-haired teenager yelled, refusing to acknowledge Herminia by her first name.

The brown-headed teenager kept flinching every single time the girl before her yelled at her. She couldn't understand what had made the girl so angry, leaving her confused on why Pauline was lashing out at her.  
But much to her surprise before Pauline could yell at her anymore, the teenage boy that was sitting next to her in class now stood in front of her. He had a stern expression on his face while his brown eyes glared at the black-haired girl.

"Pauline, if you had paid more attention you would have saw that you tripped over a chair. Now instead of yelling at this innocent woman you should instead leave now." he said with his arms crossed.

Pauline did not reply, instead she clenched her teeth tightly together. With a word she slicked back the strands of hair that had fallen back into place and stormed out of the classroom with a huff.

"Well that was unexpected." Herminia said, finally deciding to speak up, "Did you know that girl?"

"Ah no. I only knew her name because she proclaimed it loudly to the world the moment she entered the classroom. My name is Clark Triton by the way." he replied before holding out his hand.

The brown-headed girl smiled as she shook his hand and replied "Pleasure to meet you, Clark. My name is Herminia Layton."

The two teens chatted among themselves as they walked out of the classroom. Herminia discovered that her hunch about Clark being like Randall was correct when the teenager revealed that not only did he want to strive to become a archeologist but he also had a small interest in puzzles. The teenage girl was doing her best not to frown when the memories of her best friend resurfaced. She still deeply missed him but she knew that if she ever started to feel too depressed she could always turn to Clarence for support.

"So what got you interested in archeology in the first place?" she asked in an attempt to take her mind off of her troubling memories.

"Oh well I guess what sparked my interest was reading adventure books. It always seemed like archeologists got to explore the most amazing places." Clark answered with a smile.

"Adventures, huh." the teenage girl noted as she placed her hand against her chin, "I suppose that is one thing to get one's interest sparked."

"Well then what about you? What got you interested in archeology?" the teenage boy asked.

At that moment Herminia bit her lip in silence. She hadn't expected the topic to backfire on her so quickly. While Clarence was helping her cope with the loss of her frined, she still didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone about the subject. All Herminia wanted to do was bury the memory as deep as she could while still honoring her deceased friend.

Finally figuring out an answer that wouldn't go into too much detail she replied "A old friend of mine got me into it."

"Well that must have been some great friend. Well unfortunately this is where we part ways. I'll see you later, Herminia." Clark said with a smile before leaving.

Herminia smiled and waved but once Clark was gone she allowed a frown to form on her face before muttering "Yes he was."

Later that day nightfall had fallen on the campus and all the students had gone to sleep. Herminia and Clarence were in their apartment but Clarence was sleeping on the couch while his girlfriend was sleeping in the bedroom. In bed Herminia was tossing and turning with her eyes squeezed shut and sweat on her forehead.

_The brown-headed girl gasped when she found herself back in the Azran Ruins. Her heart was racing in fear when she saw Randall trying to reach safety while the platform was crumbling beneath him. She tried to run out to save him but at that moment she felt something grab ahold of her. Herminia screamed out when she saw she was forced to the ground by two men in black coats. She began to breath frantically when she saw it was the mysterious men that had came after her when she was eight. She kicked and struggled trying to desperately reach Randall to prevent him from falling into the pit. Finally using all her strength Herminia freed her arm and delivered a swift punch to one of the men's faces, causing him to release her. Managing to successfully escape the other man's grip Herminia dashed for the edge of the platform just as Randall tried to jump for safety._

_She lunged for the ground, her body sliding a bit across the ruin's stone floor as she reached the edge and grabbed ahold of Randall's arm. But when she looked down to start pulling Randall up, instead of her best friend she saw a little boy with brown-hair and brown-eyes that almost looked crimson at first glance. Herminia narrowed her eyes in confusion, feeling like she had seen the boy before. But before she could start pulling the boy up she felt something sharp stab her in the stomach. Herminia screamed out in pain, causing her to unintentionally let go of the boy's arm she was holding on. She cried out in horror as she watched the boy fall into the dark abyss._

_Before she could react someone grabbed her by shoulder an flipped her on her back. Herminia could now see her stomach was bleeding from where she had been stabbed. When she lifted up her head she was shocked at the sight she was greeted with. She saw a girl with blond-hair and white wings coming out of her back, wearing a pink dress and a necklace with a purple gem, holding a bloody dagger covered in crimson blood while in her other hand she held a ocarina. The girl's eyes glowed an eerie cyan color along with the tiara wrapped around her forehead. Herminia was shocked when she saw this mysterious girl, especially since it was apparent the girl was the one that had stabbed her._

_Silence filled the air until the mysterious girl said "The Azran only bring tragedy in its wake."_

_Before Herminia could react the mysterious girl plunged the dagger into her chest._

Herminia unleashed a loud gasp as she immediately sat up in her bed. She was taking in deep and frantic breaths as she looked around at her surroundings, realizing she had only experienced a nightmare. With a groan she rested her forehead against her hand, thinking about not only the mysterious girl that killed her in her dream but also the boy that feel into the pit.

"I feel like I've seen him somewhere before but I can't remember." she muttered quietly to herself.

Her mind tried to rake through all the different possibilities about what could have possibly have caused her to dream about a boy she was sure she didn't knew. Deciding that she wasn't able to get any answers Herminia decided to think about the possibilities of who the mysterious girl was. When she thought about it she wasn't able to figure out why she would dream about a winged girl holding with three mysterious items but deep down she felt that the wings, the necklace, the ocarina, and the crystal dagger were all connected.

"And my only clue is what the girl said..." Herminia muttered herself, taking a pause when she shuddered at the thought of the words before continuing "The Azran only bring tragedy in its wake."

Meanwhile back at the Nest, Bronev was sitting at his desk while looking over some photos of different Azran ruins. His eyes narrowed when he saw in some pictures was a girl with brown hair while others showed a mysterious man with a white mask.

"I got some more pictures for you Uncle Leon." a voice spoke up.

The dirty-blond-haired man rotated his where he could face the agent that had entered his room. There before him was none other than Emmett Altava who was proudly holding out his camera.

"Very good, Emile. Your pictures prove very useful in the Azran research. So tell me has any of the agents been able to find the Mask of Chaos?" he replied.

The brown-headed boy groaned a bit when he heard himself be addressed by his formal name. He never did like anyone addressing him by that name but Bronev was the only exception due to the man being the closest thing he had to family. Bronev had found him alone and dying on the streets one day. Emmett's parents had been murdered for cash by a common thug, leaving him as a orphan. Nobody else would take him in due to the fact they simply didn't wish for a strange child to be living in their home except for Bronev. Emmett had been helping Targent as a agent himself so he could repay the kindness the leader of the group had shown toward him.

"Unfortunately no." Emmet spoke up when he realized he had taken to long to reply, "The agents that have been planted in Henry's search group hasn't found any sign of the mask. It seems to have vanished along with the boy's body who had it at the time."

Bronev let out a frustrated sigh as he pushed up his sunglasses a bit. He couldn't believe his group was so close to finding the mask only to discover a teenage boy had found it but had vanished with the mask inside the Azran ruins.

"Well have the agents keep looking. They're bound to stumble upon the mask eventually. Now any news about my daughter?" he said.

The brown-headed teenage boy shook his head before answering "None of our spies have managed to track down where she went. All we know is that her adoptive family moved out of Stansbury a few months back."

Bronev remained silent as he tossed the pictures he was holding onto the desk. His daughter had once again slipped from his grasp just like she had nine years ago. And the only one to blame is the mysterious masked man. The dirty-blonde haired man heard about how the one who wore the mask was always there to prevent Targent agents from bringing back his daughter. In fact he remembered that day nine years ago when his two agents came back injured and they claimed a boy threatened that he would kill any Targent agent that would come after the girl.

"Hmm, at first I didn't know why you were doing this. But now I think I've solved that puzzle. Now all I need to do is to get you and your sister back in my grasp. Once you're here I'll make you both see things my way." he muttered to himself quietly.


	12. Cafe

Chapter 12

Four years had passed since Herminia started attending the university. She was no longer a teenager but now a young woman at the age of twenty-one. She walked calmly as she held an umbrella over her head. It was raining that day but not heavy enough to prevent a walk. Herminia took in a deep sigh as walked through the rain drenched streets. Her thoughts were on the fact that ever since her argument with Descole she had never seen the masked man. Her heart constantly ached at the thought she had left him on a bitter note. She wanted more than anything to meet him again and apologize for not heeding his warning. She had kept walking until she was forced to stop at a car crossing. As Herminia waited patiently she saw a man in a long black drench-coat and a black flat cap walk up next to her.

"Raining quite a lot today isn't it?" the man spoke up.

The brown-headed woman glanced at the mysterious man next to her and noticed he had brown hair and brown eyes that seemed familiar to her but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Realizing she was being rude by not responding, Herminia decided to do what any polite lady would by replying "Yes, it is. Thankfully it's not pouring too hard."

The man nodded as he glanced over at Herminia. A kind smile formed on his face as he watched her look around while still grasping ahold of her umbrella. After all he was proud to see his little sister grow up to be a beautiful and bright young woman. Descole was surprised when he had saw his sister walking the streets, especially since she had encountered him when he had chosen not to wear his mask and the hat he usually wears. A part of him wanted to quickly flee the scene as possible to avoid her spotting him but the other part of him forced him to approach her, figuring it would be alright to let his sister see his face as long he didn't mention his name.

"Say would you care for a little chat at the café?" Descole suggested.

Herminia was very surprised by the offer. She couldn't understand why a man she had encountered on the streets was wanting to offer her a invitation to a friendly chat in a café. At first she thought about turning it down but she stopped herself when she glanced at the man's eyes once more. Deep down in her heart she felt like she could trust those eyes as if she had trusted them before.

Finally after making up her mind she answered "That's sounds quite pleasant. Alright, I'll accept your invitation."

The two walked through the rain, barely saying anything to each other. Descole wanted more than nothing to reveal his identity to Herminia but he had noticed over the four years that Targent was starting to watch him as well. He figured that Targent's leader Bronev had pieced together who he was and was he was always around Herminia.

" _I hadn't heard of any Targent agents coming to get Herminia lately. Hopefully that means they don't know where she is and as long as they don't recognize me it'll stay that way."_ he thought to himself.

It wasn't long before the two finally reached the café.

"So what exactly do you do?" Descole asked as he sat down in a chair, wanting to catch up on the events he missed.

"I don't even know you but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell a little bit of myself." Herminia replied as she took a seat as well, "I'm a student from Gressenhellar University. My major is archeology."

The brown-haired man's hand clenched into a fist up hearing those words. He couldn't believe his sister had went with the subject she had claimed to have no interest in. He also knew that with her on the path to becoming an archeologist she would end up getting wrapped up with the Azran and put her at even more threat with Targent.

"That sounds... very interesting." Descole said, taking a pause when he struggled to find the proper word to avoid giving away too many emotions.

Herminia raised a brow at this as the waitress placed a cup of tea in front of her that she had ordered. She sensed a bit unease in the man's voice, wondering why he found the fact she was majoring in archeology distressing. She decided to speak nothing of it as she silently picked up her cup and sipped a bit of her tea, believing she would be rude if she began to pry.

After she sat the tea cup down once again she asked, "Well what about you? I think since you asked about my work I should ask about yours."

"Well I uh..." Descole stuttered as he thought what to answer before continuing, "I suppose you could say I'm a archeologist and scientist."

"A archeologist and scientist? My you're quite the busy person." Herminia noted with a small giggle.

The brown-haired couldn't help but smile at the sight of seeing his sister laugh. He loved seeing the young woman brimming in happiness rather than the two times he remembered her being overwhelmed with depression. Descole wished he could share those happy moments with her without any secrets between them but he couldn't since he wanted her to remain as far away from the Azran as possible. He feared if she remembered him she would remember how Targent kidnapped their parents and it would only cause her to try seek revenge just like he had chosen to do.

For a few moments the two sat in silence until Descole blurted out without thinking "You're quite beautiful I must say."

Herminia who was drinking her tea at the time instantly coughed out of startle and shock as she instantly set back down the teacup.  
The brown-haired man's eyes widened upon realization at what he said and began to panic.

"I'm sorry I..." he began in an attempt to explain himself.

The young woman coughed a few times while she beat her fist against chest a few times.

"All have you know I've already been taken!" she said in a bit of a angry tone.

"No I didn't mean it like that. I only meant it as a compliment. I promise you I have no ill-intentions." he instantly responded, panicking at the idea his sister thought he was attracted to her.

Herminia remained silent as she stared at Descole. While a part of her wanted to convince herself he was lying another part of her believed that it was true he did not think of her like that. She didn't know why but the same way she felt around the man was the same way she felt around Descole. She let out a sigh as she rubbed her fingers against the temple of her forehead, her mind becoming conflicted on why she felt close to the stranger. That was when the possibility hit her that the mysterious man could be Descole.

 _"If it is him then why isn't he wearing his mask or acting like he knows me. I've never seen Descole's hair color or eyes due to him always keeping them hidden so I can't be too sure."_ she thought to herself, _"I could confront him but if the off chance it isn't Descole then I will have put myself in a embarrassing scenario."_

But before the two could speak up they heard a commotion coming from outside the café. Curious of what it could be the two quickly got out of their chairs and dashed outside. Once outside they were greeted with the sight of officers from Scottland Yard placing a woman with light-brown hair and brown eyes wearing a purple dress and brown boots under arrest. There was a man with a shaggy black hair and messy clothes claiming the woman had shoved another woman into traffic on purpose.

"Please you have to believe me! I didn't do it!" the woman pleaded to one of the officers.

"Bah! You criminals and your excuses!" a burly man with a huge black pompadour and mustache, wearing a brown jacket, gray pants, and brown shoes exclaimed.

Herminia narrowed her eyes at the scene laid out before her, noticing the messily dressed man's car had a dent in the front and a injured woman being tended to by a couple of medics. She felt there was something off with the crime scene and decided to investigate. Without a word she walked to the officer without hesitation.

"Excuse me officer, but could you explain to me what has happened." she said in a calm matter.

"That's Constable Grosky, Madame! And in case you hadn't noticed I'm placing this woman under arrest for attempted murder. That man over there was driving down the road until this woman here pushed the victim in front of his car." he answered as he jabbed one of hands in the air with his index finger sticking out.

Herminia reminded silent as she placed her hand against her chin in thought. She noticed that while the car was stopped on the side of road but what intrigued was the fact she noticed tire marks on the sidewalk. The young woman knew if the driver's story was true there shouldn't be tire marks on the sidewalk in the first place. Another clue was that despite the pouring rain she was able to pick up the familiar stench of alcohol lingering in the air. The scenario to her was like a big puzzle that needed to be solved. Once she had figured out the whole thing she lowered her hand from her chin.

"Constable Grosky, I'm afraid you have the wrong culprit." Herminia said.

"What?! Then who the blimey do you think was the one that caused the victim to get hurt!" Grosky demanded, angry that a woman was claiming that he had the wrong person.

"Well, once I put the pieces together the picture was quite clear to me. The true culprit is there!" she said, jabbing out her index finger toward the man wearing messy clothes during her last sentence.

"What?! Y-Y-You have no proof!" the driver stuttered.

"On the contrary I do." Herminia stated in a calm manner, "If your story was true then these tire marks shouldn't exist. Also I noticed that your breath has the lingering stench of alcohol meaning you have been drinking. Simply put you decided to drive despite being drunk and when you hit a pedestrian you chose to pin it on this young woman here to avoid trouble with Scottland Yard."

The driver remained silent out of fear due to the fact Herminia had him completely figured out. Without a word the officers released the woman they were going to arrest and instead arrested the drunk man.

"Well that was very unexpected. I can't believe none of us noticed those tire tracks." Grosky muttered in embarrassment before returning to his stoic appearance and continuing, "Well I thank you for your help. What would your name be?"

"Oh my name is Herminia Layton." she replied.

"Well, Ms. Layton, I thank you. Now I must be off! There's always work to be done at the yard!" he said before taking off in a flash.

Herminia was startled by the constable dashing off in a instant, finding it surprising that there was a man that could run so fast. Once she got over her shock she directed her attention toward the woman the officers almost arrested.

"Thank you for helping me. My name is Brenda." the young woman introduced.

"Well I had a feeling you were innocent. I just needed the pieces to solve the puzzle." Herminia said with a smile,

Brenda nodded before walking away, leaving Herminia alone with Descole once more.  
Descole was very intrigued by the scene he witnessed unfold before him. He now could see his sister's skills at solving puzzles had greatly increased, meaning that the young woman able to easily think out situations better than she could in the past. But this discovery also fueled him even more to not give any hint to Herminia about his identity. He figured that he might have to act even more distant from his sister to throw her off the trail otherwise she might figure everything out. He let out a sigh as he glanced at his sister once more, knowing it was growing near to the time for him to leave.

"Well that was quite enjoyable." he started, prompting Herminia to face toward him, "But I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave now. I quite enjoyed our little chat."

Without another word he walked away, leaving his sister standing alone in the rain.  
The young woman frowned as she watched the mysterious man walk away. It depressed her even more when she had realized that she had forgotten to ask the man for his name. She still wondered if the man was the Descole but unfortunately she didn't have enough proof for that theory to hold water. Seeing how late it was getting the brown-headed woman began her trek back to her college apartment.

Back at the apartment Clarence was silently sitting on the couch reading a novel. His brown eyes instantly darted up when he heard the front door opened up to reveal his girlfriend.

"Enjoyed your walk?" he asked as he closed his book.

Herminia nodded her head as she shook her drenched umbrella and set it in the umbrella holder. She sat down next to her boyfriend on the couch, feeling him lay his arm across her shoulders.

"I had a very nice chat with someone. I never did catch his name though." she said, "So how was your day?"

"Oh I just had to go over some assignments with my partner Denise. She's a pretty shy young woman but she seems to do well around me." Clarence replied as he rubbed his arm across Herminia's shoulder.

Over the four years he had been living with her he had considered himself the happiest man on earth. Of course Clarence wasn't completely satisfied, there was a part of himself wondering if he should finally propose. While his heart urged him to ask Herminia to marry him, his mind reminded him how they were still very busy with college and they wouldn't be able to balance out their work and marriage life. His brown eyes glanced down at the young woman who had her head resting on his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile as he brushed his fingers through her hair.

"Clarence." Herminia started, prompting her boyfriend to respond with a grunt, "Had you ever thought about one day having a child?"

At that moment Clarence's body immediately froze.

Sensing her boyfriend's unease she quickly said "Oh I don't mean now. I mean in the future."

Clarenece immediately let out a sigh relief before taking a moment of silence to ponder. He hadn't given much thought about starting a family with Herminia. He still loved his girlfriend with all his heart but with how busy he had been with his studies he hadn't had time to think about children.

"Well I don't see why we can't in the future. Of course I would have to propose to you first." he said with a small chuckle.

Herminia couldn't help but laugh at this response too. She also was waiting for the day Clarence would finally propose to her but she understood that they were both too busy with their studies to consider marriage. But that didn't mean her heart still didn't ache at the thought.

"Well if we ever have a child if it's a boy I would name it Ryan." she said.

"Ryan? That's doesn't sound too much like a fitting name. I think I like the sound of Alfendi more." Clarence replied.

At that moment Hermina turned her head where she could face her boyfriend was one of her brow's raised both in confusion and interest.

"And pray tell why would you want to name our son Alfendi?" she asked.

"Well I just like the sound of it that's all." Herminia's boyfriend replied with his eyes staring up at the ceiling due to the fact he couldn't think up a better reason.

Herminia let out a laugh pull she leaned forward and embraced the young man with a kiss. The kiss wasn't short but it was still sweet and gentle. The two remained embraced in the kiss for a few moments before finally pulling apart to allow themselves to breath once more. Herminia couldn't help but smile at the kiss she had just shared; she always felt her kisses with Clarence always had a spark of life to them ever since they shared there first kiss at the lake four years ago. With Clarence by her side she was able to cope with the depression over Randall's death and was able to move on with her life instead of clinging onto the past. She wasn't sure what she would do if Clarence was to ever leave her. Silently she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's torso and rested her head on his chest.

"Mind if we stay like this for a bit?" she asked.

Clarence smiled as one of his hands stroked his girlfriend's brown-hair while the other wrapped around her waist.

He closed his eyes in complete content before replying "No. Not at all."


	13. Love's Forms

Chapter 13

"For Pete's sake, Clark, this is the twentieth puzzle your making me solve today!" Herminia exclaimed before throwing her head into her hands.

"Well in my defense you are more better at these things then I ever could be." Clark replied with his arms crossed.

The two young adults were sitting in the university's courtyard solving puzzles that were assigned to them by Dr. Schrader for their archeology class. But much to Herminia's annoyance her friend Clark was making her do most of the work. With a roll of her eyes the young woman began working on the latest puzzle given to her, figuring she might as well help out her close friend. While Herminia and Clark were good friends, the young woman was never able to find it in her heart to consider the young man her best friend. She felt that honor would always belong to Randall no matter what.

"Clark, I can't believe you weren't able to solve this one. The solution was simple." the brown-headed woman stated upon finishing the puzzle.

"Simple for you that is!" the young man said with a frown, "For me it's one big jumbled mess! Exactly how am I suppose to become a great archeologist if I'm unable to solve a simple puzzle?"

The dirty-blonde haired man groaned as he fell backwards onto the ground. He was beginning to question if he was even meant to be an archeologist in the first place. He believed if he was meant to become one he would be able to solve puzzles just as easily as his friend could. Clark took in a deep breath as he glanced over at the young woman sitting next to him. Over the four years he found it very surprising how natural the young woman took to the subject she claimed to know little about. In his eyes he kind of saw Herminia like a teacher since she would always take time out of her day to help him.

But at that moment Clark's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice shrieking "These puzzles are so dumb! I can't even solve the first one!"

The young man couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this before commenting to his friend "Well at least I'm better at puzzles then Pauline. That's something."

Pauline had her teeth clenched in anger as she had a pile of crumbled up paper next to her of all her discard puzzle answers. The stress and frustration had caused her slicked back hair to get messed up, resulting in a huge bunch of her hair to fall forward in front of her face at a awkward curve. She crumbled up her latest failed attempt at a puzzle before tossing it behind her.

"Agh! I knew I should have chosen science as a major! I can easily invent things rather than answer these impossible puzzles." the black-haired woman grumbled.

She was grumbling in anger to herself until she saw someone. The young woman gasped when she saw a certain red-headed man approach Clark and Herminia, it was none other Clarence. At that moment all of Pauline's anger vanished and it instead was replaced with happiness. Unknown to anyone else, Paulina had a secret crush on Clarence. She let out a dazed and blissful sigh as she waved at the young man, unaware that he hadn't noticed her and didn't even know she was there.

"So how's the puzzle solving going?" Clarence asked as he sat down with Herminia and Clark.

"Oh, Clarence, it's so good to see you. Well if you're curious Clark and I are going over our assignments. Poor Clark here has had some trouble solving the puzzles." Herminia greeted.

Upon hearing this Clark instantly rolled his eyes. He knew the young woman was purposely was using those words so her boyfriend won't find out that she had been pretty much doing all the work. The dirty-blonde haired man didn't want to imagine the scenario of an enraged Clarence.

"Hmm, that's great to hear. I've also been going over assignments with my class partner but when I saw you two here I decided to drop in for a bit." the red-headed man replied with a smile, "In fact Denise is over there right now doing her part of the work."

Herminia lifted her head up and was able to notice a young woman with grayish-brown hair with long bangs that covered her right eye, wearing white lab coat, a orange blouse, a brown skirt, and black shoes sitting next to a tree.  
Denise's blue eyes nervously glanced down at her papers, trying not to reveal that she was staring at the group a lot. The reason she was staring at the group was only because of Herminia. Just like Pauline she also had a secret crush on Clarence, but unlike the other woman Denise was fully aware that the young man was in love with Herminia. She bit her lip as her hand clenched tightly around the pen she was writing with; her heart ached more than anything to keep her feelings bottled inside.

Denise remembered the first day she had started developing feelings for the young man. She was a shy young woman, barely having the courage for speaking up for herself. This was troubling to her especially when it came down to the scientist she worked as a intern for known as Bill Hawks. But out of all the people, Clarence was the only one in the class that truly showed her kindness and was willing to reach out to her. The more the two worked together, the more the young woman began to fall for him. She was ready to reveal her feelings a few years ago until she spotted Clarence and Herminia together. Denise did her best to fight back her tears when she recalled how she heard the two young adults chat among themselves about their relationship with each other.

The grayish-haired woman let out a sigh as she leaned her head against the tree's trunk. There was nothing stopping her from revealing her feelings to Clarence and hoping one day that he would return them too. But she never chooses to do so because of the simple fact she loved him.

 _"If Clarence is truly happy with that girl I have to respect that. No matter how much it hurts."_ she thought to herself before returning her thoughts to her studies.

"So now that we solved all the puzzles, what's do we have to write our essay about?" Herminia piped up.

"Okay let me check." Clark replied as he got his archeology book and flipped it open to the chapter the teacher assigned before continuing, "Well it seems today we have to write about the Azran."

Upon hearing those words the brown-headed woman fell silent. The thing she dreaded facing again had finally came to light once more; she had to talk about the Azran. Herminia hated how it seemed like no matter where she went she was always pulled into mysteries of the ancient civilization. Her mind was going back and forth over the topic she wanted to never speak of again because of everything the Azran caused. Every single time the Azran was mentioned she always witnessed tragedy fall upon her later down the line. She knew one of those times was definitely the loss of her best friend but she also felt she had witnessed another tragedy centering around the Azran but she couldn't remember anything that matched up to that feeling.

Clarence frowned as he reached over and began rubbing his girlfriend's shoulder in a comforting matter. He knew how she felt whenever the Azran was mentioned. He knew her hearing that word alone was able to make her revert to the state she was in after Randall's death, where she had chosen to become selectively mute for a while. It took him many days to get Herminia to start talking freely again, even after that day when she spoke out his name she had stayed silent for the most part after that day until she finally recovered.

"Clark, umm do you think you could convince Dr. Schrader to choose a different subject for Herminia?" Clarence suggested.

"A different subject? I don't think he would like to hear that. Herminia is one of his brightest students and if she turns away a assignment it won't reflect good on herself. I mean no one really likes a picky archeologist when it is they duty of the archeologist to investigate all artifacts." Clark replied.

"But..." the red-headed man started, his voice full of concern.

"It's okay, Clarence." Herminia interrupted earning a shocked look from her boyfriend, "I can't avoid this subject forever. If I truly want to finally overcome what happened in the past, I have to face the Azran. I feel like learning about the Azran will help me finally put the past behind him."

Clark was confused about his friend's words since he did not know about the tale of Randall. But despite that he nodded his head in agreement to support Herminia, after all he knew she would have done the same for him.

Meanwhile at London's history museum, Descole was carefully examining an exhibit that had caught his eye. He had went in the museum in disguise not only to hide his identity from Targent agents but also to lower the chances of his sister recognizing him if he accidentally bumped into her again. Descole was now wearing a black suit with a red tie and red glasses; he even chose to style his hair differently as well. The exhibit before him was stone carvings detailing about the lost kingdom of Ambrosia, one of the cities of the Azran civilization. He knew the stone tablets could help aid him in tracking down the mysterious city since Ambrosia was one of the keys to finding the sleeping messenger.

 _"I've got to get those tablets some how. If I steal them it may draw Targent's attention. Knowing them they have agents placed everywhere. I got to think about this carefully."_ he thought to himself with his arms crossed.

But before he could try to put together a plan a voice said "Admiring the exhibits?"

Out of surprise Descole turned to see a woman with blonde hair tied up in a bun and blue eyes, wearing a blue dress with a small white jacket and brown boots. He remained silent as the woman just gave him a kind smile as she patiently waited for his answer.

Realizing he was making himself seem suspicious by not answering he answered "Why yes I am. After all that is what most people do at a museum."

The brown-headed man mentally slapped himself when he realized how ridiculous his sentence sounded and began to silently berate himself for slipping up with his words. He didn't want to give anyone any hints of his actions, especially if they were just Targent agents in disguise.

The woman let out a small laugh that Descole found himself surprisingly drawn to. He didn't know why but the sound of her laughter was a bit comforting.

"Yes that is the case of most people but not for me. See I'm the daughter of the archeologist who donated those stone tablets. My name is Melody." she greeted.

"Melody, that is quite a lovely name." Descole replied without thinking.

His brown eyes widened in surprise at the words that managed to escape his mouth, making him wonder why he said such a thing. It was different from when he made a similar comment toward his sister at the café but that was only because he was happy to see her grown into a bright and beautiful young woman. As for the woman he now stood next to his mind was puzzled at the new feelings he was experiencing.

Melody blushed before saying "Why thank you. By the way what's your name?"

The brown-haired man clenched his teeth at this question. His mind instantly began raking through different name possibilities. He couldn't use the name Jean Descole otherwise any Targent agents that could be nearby would discover his disguise.

"I'm..." he started before taking a nervous pause and continuing, "Desmond Sycamore."

"Ah Sycamore, like the tree. That's a pretty nice name too. Is it alright if I address you by your last name?" the woman said with a smile, "I don't want to seem rude but the name Sycamore has a much nicer ring."

"Oh of course, not at all." Descole replied in a polite matter.

The brown-haired man didn't found it strange that he had once again needed to be addressed by a new name, after all he was use to it ever since he stopped going by his birth name. Deciding to focus on the matter at hand he found it very intriguing that the woman before had connections to the stone tablets he actually needed. He knew she was the best way to get ahold of the tablets without drawing attention to himself. That way he could continue his research without Targent knowing and successfully keep knowledge about the Azran away from them.

But before Descole could say anything a voice said "Lady Melody, where are you?"

"I'm over here, Raymond!" she called out.

With in seconds a short man with a brown mustache and brown hair with his eyes looking like they were closed wearing a red suit and tie and blue shoes approached the two adults before doing a graceful bow.

"I am glad to have found you, Lady Melody." the short man said, "Your father had sent me to fetch you for supper."

At that moment Descole stopped breathing when he saw Raymond make eye-contact with him. He could tell by just looking at the man that Raymond was already finding him suspicious. He only hoped that Raymond and Melody don't turn out to be secretly Targent agents.

"Oh, Raymond, this is Desmond Sycamore. We were both talking about how he was admiring father's exhibit." Melody said as she gestured her hands toward the two men, "Sycamore, this is Raymond. He's my family's faithful butler and has been with us for quite a long time. He's been with us so long we sometimes refer to him as 'Old Raymond'."

"It's a pleasure to meet an admirer of the Master's discovery." Raymond greeted as he held out his hand.

A bit hesitant at first Descole finally shook the butler's hand. The handshake didn't seem hostile but Descole could sense Raymond didn't full trust him due to the slightly tense grip he had on his hand. The moment when he released the butler's hand Melody gasped out in happiness causing the brown haired-man to jump out of surprise.

"Sycamore, you should join me for dinner! I'm sure my father will be thrilled to meet another admirer!" the blond-haired woman exclaimed as she clapped her hands together happily.

"D-d-dinner?!" Descole yelped out in surprise.

The young man ran one of his hands through his hair with his eyes wide in shock. He only wanted to talk to the young woman about getting the tablets for research, not having to sit down at a family dinner like he was her fiancé. He was about to object until he saw Raymond glaring at him. He didn't know why but seeing that glare made him afraid what the butler would do if he were to refuse the invitation.

Knowing he didn't have much of a choice Descole let out a quiet sigh before replying "Alright, I accept your invitation to dinner."

Melody smiled in happiness before grabbing Descole by the hand and leading him out of the museum.  
The brown-headed man's eyes stared up at the ceiling as he was lead along, wondering how he managed to get wrapped up in the mess of the situation he was in.

 _"Herminia, would be laughing her head off if she saw me like this."_ he thought to himself with a groan.

Back with Herminia it was now once again nightfall. She sat on the couch leaning forward with her hands clasped toward in front of her mouth as she released a shaky breath. Her brown eyes were focused on the closed archeology book that rested on the coffee table in front of her. The young woman's mind was at war with itself due to the dilemma of having to face a topic she swore she would never revisit.

"Come, Herminia. You have to do this." she whispered to herself as she began reaching out for the book.

She was about to open it up until the images of the nightmare flashed through her mind, making her recall the haunting words the girl in her nightmare spoke. Instantly she withdrew her hand, inhaling sharply. She told Clarence that she wanted to do research on the Azran to finally put the past behind her but apart of her was afraid of those words that were engrained in her skull.

"I want to do it, but I can't. Last time I messed with the Azran I lost Randall. I-I-I can't lose anyone else, especially Clarence." she said with her voice cracking a bit.

Herminia could already feel that her body was on the verge of breaking down into tears. Only the Azran was able to make her like this. She even began to wonder if she had post-traumatic stress that was caused by the Azran. She wanted to deny it at first but when she thought about it deeply she knew it was true. She lost Randall because of the mask left by the Azran and deep down in her heart she felt the Azran were the cause of another tragedy in her life.

"The Azran only bring tragedy in its wake. That's what that girl said to me in my nightmare." Herminia muttered to herself as she closed her eyes.

She had been puzzled for years by that phrase that always seemed to linger in the back of her mind. She wanted an answer to the mystery that is the Azran but no matter what she could never fit the pieces together. Herminia wanted to know who the Azran were, why did tragic events always seem to find their way to connect to the mysterious civilization. She knew she could think up all the possibilities she wanted but it would never give her the answers. The only way she would get answers is by facing her fears. She opened up her brown eyes and glanced down at the archeology book once again.

"There's no other way. I have to find out what the Azran Legacy is. It's the only way I can get my answer and finally be able to leave them in the past." she said to herself.

Without a word she grabbed the book and opened it up to the section about the Azran, beginning her journey to finally unlock the ancient civilization's secret it kept hidden from the world.


	14. Dinner Date

Chapter 14

Herminia groaned as she opened up her drowsy eyes. It was morning once again and she saw Clarence sitting next to her gently shaking her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn, noticing that her body was slumped over the coffee table. With a tired groan she sat up on the couch before arching her back to earn the sound of a few satisfying pops.

"Herminia, were you up all night reading?" Clarence asked.

"For the most part. I've must have dozed off without realizing it at some point." Herminia replied while trying to brush strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face.

Clarence was very surprised to hear his girlfriend's dedication to the topic she was having to face. He couldn't believe she chose to stay up all night reading about the Azran just like Randall did back when he was alive. Examining the young woman a little closer, the red-headed man was able to clearly see faint dark circles underneath her brown eyes. He bit his lip without uttering a word; he was proud of Herminia for facing her fears but he didn't want her to lose health over it. He cared deeply for his girlfriend and wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to her since he loved her that much. The thought of her falling into a ill state depressed him a little, urging him to try to prevent that scenario.

"Well..." Clarence began taking a pause for a moment before continue, "Just try not to over do it in the future alright? Remember you still got classes to attend."

"Of course, Clarence. I'll take care in the future." the young woman replied with a smile, "So would you like some tea. I'm fixing to go make some."

The young man couldn't help but smile back before answering "Sure that sounds lovely. It'll give me a bit of energy before I have to meet with Denise. Her boss called her in for work early. Though I wonder what a scientist could want with a intern at such a early time."

Meanwhile with Denise she squeezed her eyes shut as she was slapped to the ground. She wanted to do nothing more than to cover her ears from the yelling that blared in her ears from her boss Bill Hawks. The man had called her in earlier because he wanted her to perform a rush job on some experiments he had been working on. She clenched her teeth as she pushed herself off the ground, listening to the scientist yell at her how some companies were paying him to have the results presented that very same day.

"They must be done today and if you dare question me again about how I run things here I'll hit you even harder until I knock some sense in that thick skull of yours!" Bill Hawks yelled in anger.

Denise opened up her blue eyes, glaring at the man with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a white lab coat, glasses, a red button up shirt, brown pants, and black shoes. She wanted nothing more than to shoot back a snarky remark toward the scientist but she kept her mouth shut, knowing anymore words would only result in him hitting her again. Without a word she began hastily gathering up the materials required for the experiment. The young woman couldn't believe that the scientist before her was so greedy that he had agreed payments from six different plant food companies to create a chemical to help plant growth. But the problem was Bill Hawks had promised what he didn't have and now he was forcing the workload on her in only one day.

Denise's hands shook slightly as she began testing some mixtures of different chemicals to find the proper mixture required. She wondered why she always chose to work for such a horrible man, but then she quickly remembered the reason why. Bill Hawks had promised her a good job position but only if she cooperated with him. If she were to break away from the internship she would lose her chance of getting the job position and would have to search for some one willing to accept her.

 _"I can't give up. This is the best way to insure I get a good job. As much as I hate Bill Hawks, I have to hold up my end of the bargain."_ she thought to herself as she hung her hair low, allowing her brownish-gray hair to hide away her blue eyes that were full of pain, _"Besides it isn't as painful as the pain from having a love never returned."_

So she continued to work on the experiments that had to be hastily completed, burying her feelings as best as she could.

Descole was sitting in a chair with his fingers tapping against the arm rest out of annoyance. Once again Melody had called him over to her home once again except this time it wasn't to have him talk to her father, it was so she could talk to her. His brown-eyes examined the woman's living room which had trophies and fossils displayed along the walls with elegant furniture and a fireplace filling the room to show how wealthy the family was. He was very surprised that one simple archeologist could become rich just by discovering different ruins left by civilizations. Before he could think about it anymore his thoughts were interrupted by Raymond entering the room.

"Lady Melody will be with you in a moment, Mr. Sycamore. She's having to attend a few last minute preparations." the butler said with a bow.

Descole raised a brow upon hearing the word "preparations." It made him wonder what the women had to possibly prepare for if they were only going to have a little chat. He glanced over at the man standing across from him, figuring the man may held the answer.

"Pardon me for asking this but what could she possibly be preparing for?" the young man asked.

Once again Descole nearly stopped breathing when he saw the strict glare he received from Raymond. He already knew it would be foolish to try to underestimate the butler based on his glare, after all the old man was more threatening than he appeared on the surface. Fortunately much to Descole's relief he saw the butler calm down as his glare slowly faded away.

"Lady Melody had to meet with a business partner of her father's. A man who goes by the name Noel Venorb." Raymond explained, "As the daughter of a very important and wealthy archeologist it's Lady Melody's duty to attend to these matters when her father is away."

Descole remained silent as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. There was something about that business partner's name that sounded odd to him and also familiar. He mulled over the name Noel Venorb and couldn't recall bumping into anyone that ever had that name. But once again his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open.

"Sorry for being late, Sycamore. I just had to settle a few things. So shall be going out?" Melody said with a smile.

"Going out? I thought you were wanting to chat at your home like you requested?" Descole asked in confusion.

At that moment Melody's smile quickly faded and fear developed in her blue eyes.

"I-I-I changed my m-mind. Something came up and I would like not to be home at the moment." she stuttered in nervous as her eyes stared at the floor.

The young man narrowed his eyes at this scene. He knew something bad must have happened due to Melody's personality shifting so suddenly. The way how her aura of happiness quickly vanished was unnerving for Descole. The young man thought about bringing up the sudden change of behavior until he saw the strong fear in her eyes that were pleading him to leave with her. Without a word he let out a loud sigh and nodded his head in agreement.  
Melody's expression instantly brightened as she instantly grabbed him by the hand and lead him away.

"Must you always drag me along." Descole muttered under his breath with a hint of annoyance.

As they were leaving the house, unknown to the both of them a man was watching from the window.

"Well it seems your daughter is leaving with a friend. Either way I think she understands the circumstances she must now bare. After all she knows what happens to people who try to break a deal with me." the man said while lowering his sunglasses, revealing his brown eyes.

Behind him was Melody's father with his dead body lying slump in a chair and a bullet wound in his forehead.

Descole didn't dare say a single word to the young woman as they walked together through the streets of London. He didn't couldn't erase the image of seeing her so frightened when he had questioned why she suddenly wanted to leave the house. He didn't know why but seeing her so frightened made him a little angry at whatever caused her to be in such a state.

"So, Sycamore, how about we go to one of your favorite places. I'm sure you know of a great one." Melody said with a giggle.

"Wait what?" the brown-headed man exclaimed, instantly snapped out of his thoughts "What do you mean I would know of a great one?"

The blonde-headed woman smiled as she wrapped both of her arms around Descole's right arm and leaned close to him.

"Well you're kind of like a gentleman and naturally gentlemen know of great places." she answered.

Descole narrowed his brown eyes upon hearing this conclusion. He considered it the most ridiculous excuse he had ever heard. He also find it strange that Melody considered him a gentleman. He believed his sister would make more of a gentleman than him had she been born a boy instead of a girl. Though despite these thoughts he still found the compliment flattering. Deciding not to let the young woman down he let out a quiet sigh as his mind began sorting through different possibilities.

After coming up a location he finally said "I suppose there's one place I could take you to."

Melody couldn't help but beam in excitement as she continued walking with the brown-headed man. It didn't take long for the two to reach a small restaurant. The young woman tilted her head in interest at the man's choice; she heard about the restaurant's high profiling and wondering how the man could have known about it. Instead of asking she chose to remain silent as she was guided inside. Luckily the restaurant wasn't too busy and the two got to be set at a table immediately.

"My what a lovely place, Sycamore. I heard of this place but never visited." Melody commented as she examined the tables covered in red tablecloths with a single lit candle in the center.

"Neither have I." Descole replied, "I only know of this restaurant because my mother had told me how she had met my father here."

"That's so sweet, Sycamore. I would love to meet them someday." the blond-headed woman stated with glee.

But the young woman's smile quickly faded when she saw the flash of hurt for a moment in the young man's brown eyes. She began to rub her hands together nervously, knowing she had said something wrong. Quietly she bit her lip and lowered her head, recalling the scene she had witnessed earlier of seeing her father lying dead in a chair while Noel Venorb was holding a gun.

"I'm sorry." she whispered with her voice cracking a bit.

"No don't be. I didn't mean to make you upset." Descole replied, feeling a bit guilty that he unintentionally caused the young woman to enter her depressed state again.

Melody lifted her head back up before rubbing her blue eyes, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to start pouring.  
The two remained silent until the waiter came by and they placed their orders along side with some wine. Melody especially wanted the wine so she could attempt to drown her depression a bit in the alcoholic beverage. She wanted anything to help her cope with the depression over losing one of the closest people to her.  
Once the waiter had filled both of their glasses with wine, Descole was shocked to see Melody quickly grab the glass and gulp down as much of the beverage as she could. When he saw her finish her glass and tried to grab his he quickly pulled the glass out of her reach.

"Melody, what's gotten into you?! You drank that glass like you've been wandering days in the desert!" he exclaimed.

Melody blinked her blue eyes in confusion until she realized what she had done. She frowned as she slumped back into her chair.

"I'm sorry, Sycamore. I just haven't been feeling well since this morning. I've asked you for a joyful chat and now I'm ruining it." the blonde-headed woman said as she rubbed one of her arms.

Descole now knew for certain that something had happened at Melody's house. The woman's actions erased all doubts from his mind. But he knew even though he peaced those facts together, he couldn't be certain about what happened and asking Melody might only disturb her even more. So for the young woman's sake Descole decided to leave the mystery to rest for the moment.

"Quite alright. I believe I can understand the circumstances." he said with a smile, hoping it would prompt the woman to do the same.

Much to his pleasure Melody did smile at him. Seeing her smile again was comforting to Descole, much similar to how he felt when he saw Herminia smile. Wanting to make sure her smile remained the brown-headed man chatted joyful with the young woman with the smile remaining on his face. The two laughed and talk for what seemed like hours as Descole casually held his wine glass, only drinking from it a few times. As he talked to the young woman he began to realize something he considered rather surprising; he was actually enjoying spending time with Melody.

Denise brushed as much of her hair in front of her face as possible, trying to hide the bruises on the side of her face. She didn't want anyone in her science class to ask questions about her injuries and suspect her boss. She feared if Bill Hawks was suspected of abuse her internship would be terminated with him and she would have lost her chance at the position he had promised her. Once she reached her classroom a small smile formed on her face when she saw Clarence was already in the classroom.

"Denise, you made it!" the red-head man exclaimed as he waved his hand.

The brownish-gray-headed woman waved back as she sat down next to him.

"So how was the internship? I was surprised at how early your boss called you in for work." Clarence said.

"Oh he just wanted me to help him finish up a few things but it was alright." Denise partly lied.

Clarence nodded his head before he directed his sight on the young woman's hair. He instantly noticed how she had it style differently where he hair hid most of her face. He knew it was normal for his partner to have her bangs hide her right eye but no more than that. His mind grew more curious at what could have brought on the sudden hairstyle change. He knew the style wasn't very practical and if anything it would make Denise have trouble during the lesson due to the hair impairing most of her vision.

 _"It's more like she's trying to hide something on her face."_ he thought to himself.

Deciding to test the theory he said "Say I noticed you new hairstyle but wouldn't it cause problems. You won't be able to see most of what the teacher writes on the board with your hair like that."

Denise instantly flinched she heard this statement. She began to brush more hair over her face in a slight panicking matter.

"I-I-It's just a n-n-new style I wanted to try out. Th-th-that's all." the young woman stuttered nervously.

Clarence frowned upon hearing this response, he knew the brownish-gray-headed woman was hiding something that apparently happened to her face. He began to grow worried if Denise's face was hurt but that left him to wonder why the young woman would choose to hide it from everyone. Without a word he laid his hand on Denise's should, prompting her body to stiffen.

"If you say so, Denise." he started with concern in his voice, "But just know you can always talk to me. I am your friend after all."

The young woman remained silent for a few moments before finally saying "Right... friend. Thank you, Clarence."

The red-headed man smiled before directing his attention to the teacher's lesson.  
Denise clenched her fist tightly as she thought about the word "friend." She clenched her teeth in anger at the thought that she would never become more than that. She hated how she had to ignore her heart that screamed out for Clarence as because she wanted him to be happy with the woman he truly loved. But because of her choice it resulted her in feeling endless pain ever single day that could never be healed. But she did not blame Clarence for that fact, instead she blamed the one woman she believed that prevented her from ever feeling happiness.

With her head lowered and her eyes squeezed shut she quietly muttered "I hate you... Herminia Layton."


	15. Invitation

Chapter 15

Melody released a loud and tired sigh as she sat at a desk looking over some paperwork. She lifted up one paper that had a picture stabled to it that detailed ancient ruins located in the desert. She was having to complete paperwork for her partner Noel Venorb now that she had to take up what her father started. Melody ran one of her hands through her blond hair with a frown as she stared at the papers in her hands. She didn't feel comfortable with handing all the paperwork documenting her father's discoveries to her business partner but she had a grim reminder of what were to happen if she were to say no. At that moment her body jolted when she heard the sound of Raymond entering the room while carrying a tray with a tea set.

"I thought you would like some tea to settle your nerves, Lady Melody." he said as he set the tray on a table.

Melody couldn't help but smile toward her caring butler before replying "Thank you, Raymond. Your concern and care is always grateful."

The butler nodded before he began pouring the young woman a cup of tea.  
Once it was handed to her she took a small sip as she closed her eyes, the warmth of the tea helping settle her nerves a little bit. As she placed the tea cup on her desk she focused her blue eyes on the documents.

"Raymond, may I ask for your advice?" she asked in a slight nervous tone.

"Of course, Lady Melody. Old Raymond is always here to help." Raymond answered with a smile.

Seeing her faithful butler smile gave Melody the courage for what she was about to say. She needed to know why her business partner wants the documents so badly that he had actually killed her father when the archeologist had refused to give them to him. All she knew was that her father told her that Noel Venorb was a generous donator that helped fund his expeditions. But that still left the question lingering in her head over why her father's benefactor would kill him. Without a word she stood up from her desk and planted her hands firmly on top of it.

"Raymond, should I send these documents to Sycamore?" she asked.

Raymond's eyes widened in shock. He knew that his mistress did form a bond with the man due to them knowing each other for weeks and enjoying joyful chats. While he was grateful the chats helped Melody take her mind off of the tragedy that feel upon her he couldn't understand what warrantee her to trust a man she had only met a museum.

"I'm not sure, Lady Melody. You know nothing of the man. Why would you trust very important documents to a stranger?" he replied in a stern tone.

"Because he knows about the Azran." Melody answered, "These documents Mr. Venorb wants are expeditions centered around the possible location of Ambrosia, one of the cities of the Azran Civilazation. When I met Sycamore he was examining the tablet my father donated to the museum that he found on one of his expeditions that had a ancient poem about the lost kingdom. I hope by giving Sycamore these documents he could shed some light on father's... I mean my partner's intentions."

Upon hearing this the butler remained silent. It was true that not even he knew why the mysterious man had slain his master over the mysterious documents. As much he hated to admit it he knew Melody's friend was the only one who could give out information about the Azran seeing as all the other archeologist investigating the ancient civilization mysteriously vanished over the years. Deciding to break the tense and unnerving silence between him and his mistress, Raymond took in a deep breath of surrender.

"I see, Lady Melody, and I understand. So how do you propose we deliver these documents to him without Venorb's knowledge? I don't want him to find out and harm you or even worse kill you." the butler stated, his voice trembling a bit at the end of his sentence.

Melody said nothing as she slowly turned around to face the open window behind her. She knew she would have to craft a very carful plan otherwise her partner would find out and she would be putting herself and everyone she knew in danger.

"We must be sneaky about our operations." the young woman said as she rested her hand on top of her chair's backrest, "Venorb doesn't seem to suspect when I send you with a invitation to give to Sycamore. Perhaps we could do just that."

Not wanting to waste anytime the young woman quickly sat down at her desk again and began writing a letter.

Back at Gressenhellar University Herminia bit her lip as she was trying to sort through her bag which was full of papers, trying to find the correct assignment. She kept pulling out the wrong papers and groaning in frustration before tossing them to the ground, adding more to the ever growing pile of papers surrounding her knees.  
Clark stood behind her with his brown eyes wide in shock. He couldn't believe his friend had became so dedicated to archeology that she was starting to neglect some of her organization habits. As the weeks passed on the more the brown-headed woman studied, the more messy her bag became with papers. He even recalled a few times Clarence had to scold Herminia for leaving books scattered around their apartment floor a lot.

"I swear to you, Clark, the puzzle assignment is in here! I just have to find it among all my notes." Herminia noted as she kept sorting through the bag.

"Herminia, at this rate I'm going to be late for my lunch date." Clark said with sigh.

At that moment the young woman instantly froze. She shook her head around a bit, trying to make sure she had heard her friend correctly. Wanting to learn more of this new discovery she instantly stood up and spun around where she faced the dirty-blonde-haired man.

"Lunch date? Clark, are you saying you actually met someone?" she asked with her voice full of surprise.

Clark narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, a little bit insulted that his friend would be surprised over the fact he was dating. He believed it shouldn't have been hard to believe at all; he was striving to be a archeologist but that didn't mean he was ignoring everything else in life.

"Yes as hard as it is apparently for you to believe I met someone, Herminia." he said in slight annoyance, "I met her one day when taking a walk around the courtyard. We had a little chat and over time we kind of fell for each other."

Herminia flinched upon hearing the tone of Clark's voice. She hadn't meant to give off the impression that she believed he would never fall in. She just found the discovery so sudden that she couldn't help but be shocked. But despite the shock she was proud that her friend had indeed found someone but that left her to wonder who the woman was and why she had never met her if Clark had known the her for a bit now. Though she quickly answered her own question when she realized the reason she never got to meet the woman was because she was never around a lot. When it came to her free time it was spent mostly studying or enjoying time with Clarence.

 _"Well I suppose there's no better time than the present."_ Herminia thought to herself.

Deciding she might as well get to know her friend's girlfriend she asked "So what's her name?"

"Hmm?" Clark responded having been caught off guard by the sudden question before replying quickly, "Oh, of course her name! Sorry about that. Her name is Brenda."

The moment Clark uttered the name from his mouth Herminia froze in shock. She remembered that it was the name of the young woman she had prevented from getting arrested. Unconsciously her hands gripped at her brown hair as she tried to process the new information. When she continued on to ask when her friend met the young woman she was even more shocked to learn that Clark had indeed met her that very same day. That was when she knew had she not luckily been at the café at the time Clark would have a girlfriend sitting behind bars. The young woman's eyes were still wide open as she tried to comprehend the situation. Unable to handle the shock Herminia collapsed on the ground.

Clark instantly kneeled down on the ground and helped his friend sit up. He bit his lip when he saw the young woman frantically blink her eyes as she tried to grasp her surroundings once more.

"Herminia, what was that about?" he exclaimed in confusion.

Herminia groaned as she rubbed her fingers against her forehead before replying "Clark, I officially now believe in coincidences. I met Brenda after you did and prevented her from getting arrested all because I luckily was in the area at the time."

The air feel silent as the young man remained silent at this confession. Without a word he let go of Herminia before fainting on the ground.  
The brown-headed woman groaned before grabbing ahold of her bag and began sorting through the papers once again, making a mental note in her mind to never again question the mysterious ways of fate.

Descole grunted in frustration as he looked over his many books and papers about the Azran as he sat at the table in his hotel room. Because he did not live in London he stayed in a hotel so he could have his own base of operations. To insure Targent never discovered his location he had never let anyone in the room, not even the maids. He had his hands clasped together in front of his mouth as he leaned his elbows on the edge of the table. His suit jacket was lying on the armrest of his chair and he had the sleeves of his white button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows.

"It's been weeks and I've been unable to convince Melody to let me see that tablet her father donated to the museum." he muttered to himself, "I can't waste too much time here in London, I still have to gather information on the rest of the three Azran cities. The Golden Garden, the Kingdom of Harmony, and the Nautilus Chamber are the keys to finding the sleeping messenger otherwise known as The Azran Emissary."

Before he could mull over the facts anymore he heard a knock at his door. He remained silent as he didn't move an inch, not wanting to alert anyone to his presence due to the fact he had Targent agents snooping around in the past. But soon he was met with relief when he heard the familiar voice of Raymond, figuring the butler had dropped by to give him another invitation from Melody. Without a word he quickly grabbed his red glasses off of his table and fixed his hair as best as he could before opening the door.

"Ah, Raymond, it is a pleasure to see you. So I presume you're here to give me another invitation?" Descole greeted the butler with a grin.

"Yes and I also have a package. Lady Melody went out and bought you a outfit for tonight." Raymond answered.

"An outfit? For what occasion?" the young man asked with one of his brows raised in both confusion and suspicion.

"Why to go see an opera of course. Lady Melody had purchased tickets for you to see one of London's finest singers Maria Whistler with the orchestra being directed by her husband Oswald Whistler." the butler replied with a bow, "Lady Melody, would be overjoyed to have you as her escort."

Descole remained silent as he nodded his head and accepted the package.

He was about to close the door until he heard Raymond say "Lady Melody has a lot of faith in you, Mr. Sycamore. Please don't let her down. As her faithful butler and guardian, I'm placing my faith in you as well."

The young man was stunned by the confession from the butler. He didn't understand why he would receive such a confession would be revealed when all he was going to do was go to the opera. But because of his respect toward Raymond he nodded his head in understanding once again. Without a word he watched the butler silently walk away before closing the door. Descole walked over to his bed and dropped the package on top of it due to there being no room on his table since it was covered with different books, notes, and pictures. He grabbed ahold of the white envelope that was taped on top of the package and opened it up.

The young man raised a brow as his brown eyes stared down at the letter before him. He noticed that the letter was different from the previous letters he had received from Melody.

_Dear Sycamore,_

_Oh how I can't wait till you read this.  
_ _Can't believe I'm so nervous just by sending a letter.  
_ _Um, I understand a opera is a strange choice._  
Maybe perhaps a bit too noisy as well.  
Either way I wish to speak to you there as usual.  
Now I know the sound may make it hard to hear each other.  
Talking in a opera is like barely whispering.  
Still I hope to see you there.

Descole tapped his foot in thought, wondering why the young woman wrote so strangely. He knew normally it would just be her saying hello and just mention how she would like to talk, not rambling on like she did in the letter he held in his hands. He moved the letter closer to his face, trying to get a better look. Upon examination he instantly stopped tapping his foot when he noticed the capital letters at the beginning of each line, they all spelled out a word.

"Documents." he muttered to himself.

It was then he realized why Melody had written so strangely, she had purposely placed a puzzle in the invitation to relay a secret message to him. Recalling the package Raymond mentioned he didn't waste anytime grabbing his knife and opening up the box. Inside he saw there was a black cape with a bit of gold trimming with a blue ribbon for the tie and a feather boa for the collar folded neatly inside. He rolled his eyes as he picked up the folded cape, believing that Melody had gone a little bit overboard with the feather boa. Once the cape was in his hands he felt something hard on the inside of the cape. Curiosity getting the best of him Descole unraveled the cape to reveal a large brown envelope.

When he opened up the envelope he was shocked to see documents about Ambrosia, the very thing he needed to continue his studies.

"Why would Melody send me such important documents and in secret as well?" he muttered.

At first he thought about brushing off the thought, after all with those documents he no longer had any reason to stay in London. He could use them to investigate where the expeditions were carried out and hopefully be able to pinpoint where the lost kingdom is hidden. But then he remembered Raymond's confession about how they both were trusting him. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He didn't see how anyone could consider him trustworthy due to the fact he kept secrets from everyone including his own sister.

But when he thought about it more he realized something, Melody and Raymond were the first two people he could truly trust. It made him feel like he had a family again that he could be close to ever since he made the choice to distance himself from Hermina.

"I can't leave, I can't betray their trust." he said to himself, finally making up his mind.

With brand new determination he hidden all his book, photos, and notes about the Azran in his suitcase and grabbed his suit jacket. As he put on his jacket his brown eyes focused on the black cape that lay on his bed. He figured that Melody really did purchase it for him to wear to the opera as well. With a loud sigh he walked over to his bed and picked up the cape.

"Might as well not disappoint." he grumbled in annoyance as he placed the cape over his shoulders and tied the blue ribbon together to hold it in place.

Descole turned toward his hotel mirror to examine his appearance, groaning when he focused on the feather-boa collar that hid away his entire neck. In his eyes he looked ridiculous wearing the cape. In an attempt to try to make himself look better Descole grabbed his black hat that he usually wore with his mask and placed it on his head. That was when his brown eyes widened in surprise a bit, with the hat on the cape no longer looked ridiculous. He tilted his head around as he pushed the cape away from the front of his body since when the cape was closed it hid away his entire body except for his black and white shoes. Descole was very surprised that only a minute ago he was hating his new attire but now that he had added the hat he was liking it. It was as if the two items tied neatly together.

Pleased with his appearance Descole opened the door and left his hotel room. He didn't know what Melody was planning by sending him the documents but he knew he would find out from her when he meets her at the opera.


	16. Opera

Chapter 16

Descole's brown eyes constantly searched through the crowd for Melody. He made it to the opera house but he saw no sign of the young woman. His cape swung around a bit with each step he took as he made he was past different people that stood around the opera house's foyer. He was about to give up until he felt someone place their hand firmly on his shoulder. Descole quickly turned around and his heart nearly stopped when he was greeted with the sight of Melody with her hair only partially in a bun while the rest was let down, wearing a dark purple shimmering dress with a white silk shawl around her shoulders, black gloves that reached her elbows, black heels, and a gold masquerade mask with a ruby in the center of it.

"Sycamore, I'm so glad you came." she said with a smile.

"Yes I was able to decipher the message you gave me and received the package." Descole replied with a smile as well.

Melody let out a small laugh before replying "I can tell since you're wearing the cape I got you. Now come on, I have the perfect place where we can discuss things."

Descole nodded both in agreement and understanding as the young woman grabbed his hand like she always did with him and guided up the stairs. They kept walking till Melody led him into one of the private sitting rooms. Once inside Melody sat down in one of the two chairs that rested on the balcony area, prompting her companion to sit in the remaining seat. She had chose to have their discussion take place there not only because it would prevent anyone from spying on their conversation but it also made it where they could hear each other better.

The audience in the opera house fell silent as the orchestra began playing its music and a woman with long blonde hair wearing a green dress and a golden tiara began to sing.

"Alright, Sycamore, as promised I wanted to talk to you. I sent those documents to you because I need your help." Melody said as one of her hands clenched tightly.

"I noticed the documents were on the Kingdom of Ambrosia. How exactly am I suppose to help you with that?" Descole said with a raised brow and his arms crossed.

While he did trust Melody and Raymond, the young man still didn't feel close enough to reveal his knowledge on the Azran. He wanted to keep that information under lock and key since he wanted to unlock the secret of the Azran Legacy alone so he could finally get his revenge.

"Sycamore, I want you to tell me about the Azran. I saw how you looked at that tablet that day we met, you can't hide the fact you do have knowledge on the ancient civilization." the young woman replied in a stern tone.

"That doesn't exactly warrantee a reason to hand out such knowledge. You're not an archeologist so I don't see why..." Descole began in a strict tone.

At that moment Melody broke into tears and yelled "Because Noel Venorb killed my father for withholding information!"

The brown-headed man froze as he watched the young woman in front of him throw her face into gloved hands as she sobbed. A pang of guilt rang through his heart as he heard nothing but Melody's sob and the opera woman's singing. Without a word he got out of his chair and kneeled in front of the blonde-headed woman. His hands at first shook with hesitancy but he still managed to cup both of them around Melody's face and tilt her head up where she could face him.

"I'm sorry, Melody. That was uncalled for." Descole said before taking in a deep breath and continued, "I had no idea what happened to your father."

Melody smiled as best as she could as she placed one of her hands over Descole's.

"I understand and I should had told you when it first happened but I was frightened. That was why I asked you to leave the house with me that day. Venorb was there and he threatened me that if I didn't cooperate that he would kill anyone close to me. Including you." she said in a shaky tone.

Descole remained silent as he thought about this information. He wondered why Melody's partner would kill her own father all because he withheld the documents about Ambrosia. He knew that the Lost Kingdom was connected to the Azran since it was one of the cities the ancient civilization use to live in. But the only ones he knew would actually goes as far as to kill someone for information was members of Targent. At that moment his eyes snapped wide open upon realization; he now knew why the name Noel Venorb sounded so familiar to him.

"Leon Bronev! It's his name backwards!" he hissed in anger while releasing his hold on the young woman's head.

"Leon Bronev? What are you talking about, Sycamore?" Melody asked, her heart growing in worry from hearing the anger in the man's voice.

Descole unleashed a loud sigh of frustration, knowing he had to tell the young woman about the group now that she had unintentionally put herself in great danger.

"Noel Venorb's name is actually Leon Bronev. He's a leader of a criminal group known as Targent." he began to explain with his voice having a hint of a snarl in it, "Over the years they had been gathering scientists and archeologists that were studying the Azran. Sometimes they kidnap people who were unwilling to join their cause, others they threaten or in cases like your father kill because they only find the information useful and not the person."

Melody's heart began pounding in fear as her body trembled slightly. She was terrified that a dangerous criminal group was after her and anyone close to her. She couldn't bare the thought of Bronev finding out what she had done with the documents and proceeding to kill everyone around her. Her blue eyes squeezed shut as she clung onto Descole's shoulders.

"Sycamore, what am I suppose to do? I can't let that man hurt you or Raymond." she whimpered.

The young man clenched his teeth together tightly as he wrapped his arms around her. His heart ached at the thought of the young woman having to suffer from Targent's cruelty much like he and his sister did when his parents were kidnapped.

"There's only one thing to do." he said in a stern tone, prompting Melody to open her blue eyes and stare into his, "I have to get you and Raymond out of London. I'm familiar with keeping out of Targent's sights so I could guide you both to safety."

"Le-Leave London?" Melody exclaimed in shock.

She wasn't sure how she could handle the thought of having to leave her entire life behind. She had grown up in London for as long as she could remember and to leave the city she was so fond of was earth shattering. But despite this she knew it was her only choice now having knowledge of what Targent was capable.

"I know it's hard to take in but I want you to be safe, Melody. I care for you deeply." Descole said as he rubbed hand against the young woman's shoulder, "Are you willing to follow me to safety?"

The blonde headed woman took in a deep breath when she heard those words. Without warning leaned forward where her face was only centimeters away from the young man's before her.

"I'll follow you anywhere, Sycamore." she said before closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his.

Descole was stunned by this action but he did not resist. Instead he closed his eyes and returned the kiss, hearing nothing but the song that continued to echo throughout the opera house.  
It only took a few minutes for the two to pull apart, gasping for air. Knowing what they had to do next the two young adults quickly stood up and left the private sitting room. They were about to make a run for the stairs until both of them saw something that horrified them. Men in blacks coats were scouting the halls and blocking off the entrance, allowing no one to get in or out.  
Descole snarled in anger as he grabbed Melody by the arm and pulled her behind a corner with him to avoid being spotted.

"Targent! Bronev must have sent them to spy on you. If they spot us trying to leave news will get back to Bronev and who knows what will happen." the young man whispered.

"But, Sycamore, how are we suppose to get out of here?" Melody asked in a concerned tone.

Descole closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against the temple of his forehead to take a moment to think. But before he could do much thinking he felt something tugging on his cape. His brown eyes instantly snapped open and he tilted his head down to see a little blonde-headed girl with pigtails and brown eyes, wearing a green dress with baggy sleeves and pink triangles on the hem of the dress, pink shoes, and a purple gem necklace that hung around her neck.

"I saw those bad men. Are you trying to get away from them?" the girl asked.

Before Descole even got a chance to reply Melody quickly nodded her head with the reply "Yes and it is urgent that they do not see us. Do you know a way out?"

"Yes I do, quickly follow me!" she said.

The little girl grabbed ahold of Descole's hand and began running down the hall, forcing the young man to follow along while Melody was clinging onto his shoulder to keep up. Staying true to her word the little girl was indeed able to guide the two young adults through the opera house without being seen by the Targent agents. The little girl had only stopped running when she stood in front of a door with a gold plaque on it with the words "Maria Whistler" engraved in it. Without a word she opened up the door and lead the two adults inside.

"My mother has a window you both can climb out of." the girl said as she pointed to the small window.

With a smile Melody kneeled down to hug the girl and whispered "Thank you for helping us."

Descole didn't waste anytime dashing over to the window and opening it up. But before he was going to tell Melody to climb out, his eyes managed to spot a single music sheet. The notes on the page seemed familiar to him but then he quickly got his answer why when he spotted the title of the song. His eyes widened as he snatched the music sheet off of the table and turned toward the little girl.

"Your mother knows the 'Song of the Sea'?" he asked in shock.

The little girl gasped in surprise when the man before her knew the song he held in his hand.

"I thought only mother knew about that song! Where did you hear it from?" she asked.

"That's not important! Now tell me how your mother knows this song!" Descole replied with his voice slightly raised.

Both Melody and the little girl where shocked at this new side of Descole that emerged from him. Only moments ago he was being silent and focusing on escaping but now he was getting frustrated over a simple song.

Not wanting the man to get more angry the little girl answered "A book. My mother read it from a book. She thought the song was lovely and wanted to sing it. But oddly enough she found she couldn't hit the notes. It's strange because my mother is a wonderful singer and hits most notes with ease thanks to her years of training. But with this song no matter how hard she tried she couldn't hit the notes, it was as if the song wasn't meant for her to sing. I got curious and decided to sing the song myself. Much to my mother's and father's shock I had hit every note perfectly even though I'm still struggling with my singing."

Upon hearing this Descole's body immediately froze. He remembered when he did research on the mysterious song that he found a prophecy that was left behind by the Azran. A prophecy that spoke of a sacred song that only could be sung by a maiden with the purest voice. He now knew the maiden of prophecy had to be the little girl before him now.

He took in a deep breath before asking "What is your name girl?"

The little girl glanced nervously to the ground before answering "Melina. My name is Melina Whistler."

Descole closed his eyes while he nodded his head. He wanted to make sure to remember that name for the day he would need Melina's help to find the lost kingdom of Ambrosia. Without a word he grabbed ahold of Melody's arm and pulled her over to him. He helped her crawl out of the window before crawling out of it himself. Not wanting to risk getting caught the two adults ran through the dark streets of London. The city was no longer safe for them and Targent would be searching high and low for them. They needed to flee the city with Raymond and hopefully escape Targent's watchful eyes.

Three years had passed by since that fateful day. Herminia groaned as she slapped closed a book she had finished reading. She was already on her way to work for doctorate's degree so she could apply as a archeology professor in the future. The brown-headed woman now the age of twenty-four yawned as she stretched her body out on her apartment's couch.

"Clarence is right, maybe I shouldn't work so much." Herminia muttered as she rubbed her sore neck.

Her brown eyes glanced up at the clock on the wall, causing her to frown when she saw how late it was getting. She hadn't seen her boyfriend since he had dashed off early that morning and she was beginning to grow worried. Fortunately her worries were put to rest when she saw the front door swing open, revealing the young red-headed man.  
Clarence was taking in deep breaths as he leaned on the door frame with his chest heaving.

"Sorry I'm late, Herminia." he panted, "I ran over here as fast as I could."

"Clarence..." the brown headed woman began as she sat up on the couch, "What could you possibly be in a rush for and why were you gone almost all day today?"

"I had to run a very important errand. It required me to do a bit of running around." Clarence answered as he slipped one of his hands into his pants' pocket.

Herminia raised as brow as she watched her boyfriend walk over to her with his hand remaining tucked away in his pocket. She continued to listen as he began reminiscing about how they met at Kingsbrook Academy in science class. The young woman couldn't prevent the blush forming on her face as she recalled how at first she was so shy around Clarence and how Randall would tease her about her crush on him.

"Herminia, I've done a lot of thinking and it's been seven years since we first got together. I think it's time I did something about that." the young man stated with determination in his eyes.

The brown-headed woman gasped as she watched her boyfriend kneel down on one knee and finally pull his hand out of his pocket to reveal a small black box.

"Herminia Layton..." Clarence began as he opened up the black box to reveal a small diamond ring, "Will you marry me?"

Herminia clasped her hands over her mouth, finding herself speechless at the fact her boyfriend was proposing to her. She couldn't prevent the happy tears that began to spill forth from her brown eyes as a smile formed on her face.

"Oh, Clarence, of course I will!" she exclaimed happily.

At that moment Clarence let a cheer of happiness escape his mouth before he slipped the ring on his now fiancé's finger. The two young adults laughed in happiness before embracing in a kiss, doing their best to calm their rapidly beating hearts.

When they pulled apart Clarence said "I even bought some wine for the occasion."

"Wine?" Herminia said with a concerned frown, "Are you sure that's alright."

"Don't worry, Herminia. I promise we won't go overboard with the stuff." the red-headed man insured as he poured himself and his fiancé a couple of glasses.

The young woman frowned as she glanced down at the alcoholic drink in her glass. She had never told Clarence that she had never drunken any kind of alcohol in her entire life since her mother claimed alcohol could even turn the most polite gentlemen into the dirtiest scoundrels. But wanting to not disappoint her fiancé she lifted the glass to her lips before taking a drink.

Clarence groaned as he woke up the next morning with his head throbbing in pain. He never intended to drink so many cups of wine. All he knew was after wanting one cup he kept wanting more until finally his memories became too blurry to recall.

"I suppose this is what others refer to as a hangover." he muttered as he placed his hand against his head.

Using all his strength the red-headed man sat up despite the waves of nausea and dizziness washing over him. But when he sat up his blankets fell from his chest, exposing his bare skin. His brown eyes widened in shock when he saw he had fallen to sleep shirtless when normally he would slip on some pajamas. Due to the fact he was shirtless, it made Clarence wonder if he had any other clothes on at all. Cautiously the young man lifted up his blankets coverings his leg before slapping them back down. His face turned bright red when he saw his fears were confirmed; he was naked underneath the blankets.

"Why would on earth would I strip out of my..." he started to yell until he heard a groan next to him.

His heart began racing out of panic as his body started trembling. Deciding to swallow his nerves Clarence turned his head to see Herminia asleep next to him with her hair messed up and her nude form being covered by blankets as well. The red-headed man dug his fingers into his hair as he began to breath frantically.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed upon realizing the consequences for having too many drinks.

He had slept with Herminia.


	17. Tests

Chapter 17

Clarence took in a shaky breath as he constantly bumped his leg up and down in the hospital's waiting room. When Herminia had woken up and discovered that she and her fiancé had slept together during their drunk haze, the young woman wanted to make sure nothing had happened to her. He bit his lip as he glanced at the clock on the wall, shocked to see only a few minutes had passed by when to him it felt like he had been waiting for hours in anxiety. Just then Clarence was startled when he heard the sound of the door opening, causing him to jump out of his chair. The young man breathed frantically as he stared at the door to see a nurse holding it opening while she was giving him a concerned and confused look.

"Sir if you're alright, the doctor would like to speak to you now." the nurse said with a unsure frown.

Clarence closed his eyes and took in a calm and deep breath before replying "Yes, I'm quite alright. I'll head in now."

The nurse nodded before stepping to the side and allowing the young man to walk through the door. Clarence frantically ran his fingers through his red head, dreading for what the final verdict would be on his fiancé's condition. Eventually he was lead into a room where he saw Herminia sitting in a chair with her torso bent over as her head was propped up by her hands which were clasped together.  
The young woman lifted her head up when she heard footsteps, revealing the worry and fear that filled her eyes.

"Clarence, I don't know what we're supposed to do." she said with a sigh, "I knew I should have never had that first drink. It spiraled out of control so quickly."

Clarence silently sat down next to the brown-headed woman and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Well for now all we can do is wait. The doctor will be here soon with the results to the tests they performed on you." he said with a small smile.

Herminia glanced up at her fiancé and smiled as well, knowing that they both couldn't take action unless they knew for certain. After all she did know it was foolish to instantly jump to conclusions from many years of solving puzzles.  
The two young adults remained silent for a few moments until finally a woman wearing a white doctor's coat entered the room holding a couple of papers.

"Well the results have come in and they're positive. Ms. Layton, you're pregnant." the doctor said while handing Clarence the test results.

Herminia felt like fainting when she heard those words. She didn't want to be pregnant when she was still very busy with her college work and feared how much a child would add onto that work. The young woman bit her lip and one of her hands began nervously pulling at her brown hair. Another thought that crossed her mind was how she and Clarence were suppose to afford to raise a child when they had already dedicated so much of their money on their university resources and apartment bills.  
Clarence keep staring at the papers he held in his hands both in shock and disbelief. He had never meant to cause life for him and his fiancé to become so difficult. He dreaded the fact of telling his parents of what had happened and already knew they wouldn't give their money to help support the child. He knew his parents would only tell him to get a job to support the child himself since he was the one that was careless. Without a word he grabbed ahold of Herminia's arm before thanking the doctor and leaving the hospital with his fiancé.

Once they were outside Herminia finally spoke up "Clarence, what are we going to do now? With the both of us so busy with your science degree and my doctorate's degree, I don't see how we'll be able to raise a child."

Clarence watched as the young woman unconsciously placed both hands over her stomach. He could tell she was very worried over the situation.

"Well think of this as a challenging puzzle." he said in an attempt to cheer his fiancé up, "After all you are the one that always told me that every puzzle has a answer."

Herminia couldn't help but let a small smile form on her face as her brown eyes focused on the grinning red-headed man. She moved one of her hands from off her stomach and clasped it around her fiancé's, giving it a bit of a tight squeeze but only for a moment.

"I suppose you're right. No matter how difficult things may seem I have faith we'll both make it through." she said, "I suppose all that's left is to tell everyone of the news."

Clarence couldn't prevent the groan that escaped his mouth as he pictured the mental image of his parents both scolding him for drinking wine and carelessly sleeping with a woman. He wasn't looking forward to the discussion at all and only hoped his that his imagination was worse than how his parents would actually react.  
Herminia noticed the young man's distress so in an attempt to cheer him up a bit she gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
At that moment Clarence blushed out a surprise before laughing out of happiness.

But unaware to the both of them they were being watched by Pauline. The black-headed woman nearly screamed when she saw Herminia kiss her crush and nearly screamed even louder when she saw the young man laughing out of happiness. Pauline found herself unable to speak any words from her mouth, instead only flustered grunts and gasps came out. Because of her shocked state Pauline's slicked-back hair ended up springing out in the different directions. Two giant strands ended up forming into the shape of a giant curled mustache behind her head while the third flopped over in front of her face at a odd curved angle. Finally without warning her shocked state instantly turned into one of rage.

 _"What?! How dare that woman steal away my Clarence!" I bet Layton knew all along that I like him and stole him away out of spite all because she was jealous of my beauty and brains!"_ Pauline thought as she clenched her fists and grinded her teeth together.

Because of her angry state Pauline without even thinking dashed toward the river as fast as she could and jumped off the ledge.

"You'll pay for this, Layton! I'll get my revenge!" she screamed before plunging down in the waters below, her yells turning into gargles and glubs.

Having heard Pauline's scream Herminia turned her head back and forth, searching the area in confusion.

"Did you hear something?" she asked, wanting to make sure if she wasn't hearing things.

Clarence only shrugged his shoulders in reply, having no idea what the mysterious yell was about.

Meanwhile in a small distant England town, Descole let out a tired sigh as he looked over some blueprints. Ever since Melody's discovery of Targent he helped the young woman and her butler flee London so they could avoid Targent's grasp. To make sure they stayed safe Descole continued going under the name of Desmond Sycamore since Targent wasn't looking for that identity but rather Jean Descole. His brown eyes remained focused on the blueprints before him until he felt someone grab him around the neck. Descole gagged as he fell out his chair, wondering who managed to sneak up on him. He was confused until he heard the sound of a little girl giggling.

He groaned as he straightened out his red glasses, finally managing to spot a girl around the age of three with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a white dress and pink shoes.

"I snuck up on you daddy! You didn't even see me coming!" the little girl giggled.

"Is that so well you know that means I have to get revenge now, Nora." Descole said with a grin.

Nora laughed before quickly scampering to her feet and running away from her father who was now pursuing her. She kept running until she felt Descole scoop her into his arms. She laughed and giggled as her father spun around the room with her. She kept giggled when Descole finally stopped spinning around with her and set her back on the ground. Nora's body wobbled as she tried to take a few steps before stumbling to the ground out of dizziness.

"And you said you were too busy for visits." a female voice said with a laugh.

Descole instantly turned around to see Melody standing in the doorway smiling at him. Without a word he walked over to her and embraced her in a hug. His brown eyes focused on the gold ring placed upon the young woman's finger, remembering how he proposed and married her three years ago. Everyday he spent with his wife made him feel happy, as if her presence finally warmed his heart that had grown cold ever since his parents' kidnapping and distancing himself from his sister. He was even happier to have his daughter Nora in his life too, so happy in fact that he had chosen to leave the Azran in past and bury his need for revenge.

"So what is it exactly are you working on, Desmond?" Melody asked, having started addressing Descole by that name after having grown very close to the man.

"If you must know it's a new drill I came up with. They would be more efficient for digging up ruins and artefacts." he explained with a smirk.

"So in other words you're wanting to make drilling robots." the blonde-headed woman said with her arms crossed.

"I think I like you're blimp idea more, daddy. Robots sound scary." Nora said as lifted herself up in one of the chairs.

"You mean the plans for the Bostonius. But I wouldn't worry about robots, Nora. They're only scary if I want to make them scary and I would never make anything to terrify you." Descole insured as he placed his hand on top of his daughter's head.

"Still drilling robots. Sound more like a clichéd villain invention rather than the brilliant invention of Desmond Sycamore." Melody teased with a smirk, knowing how her husband felt when it came to his inventions.

Descole had to resist the urge to glare at his wife for teasing about the subject. He never was too fond whenever she called his inventions either clichéd or boring just so she could get under his skin. But just then a sly grin formed on his face when he came up with an idea for revenge. He told his daughter to go check up on Raymond, prompting the little girl to dash out of the room. Seeing that his daughter was gone Descole directed a dark grin toward his wife.  
Melody's eyes widened when she saw her husband's grin; she knew exactly what was running through his mind. She tried to run but Descole managed to grab her by the waist and pinned her down on the table.

"Clichéd now am I?" the brown-headed man taunted as he climbed on top of his wife.

"Desmond, not here. This is your study." Melody said with a bright blush on her face.

"You brought this on yourself." Descole chuckled before kissing his wife.

The blonde-headed closed her eyes as she kissed back, not minding that her back was getting sore due to being pinned down on a table.

But before they could continue their activities they heard a voice say "Master and Lady Melody!"

Descole instantly stood up in panic, noticing Raymond was now standing in the room. His face turned bright red out of embarrassment as he helped his wife off of the table.  
Melody's face was bright red as well as she nervously twirled her index finger in her blonde hair. She didn't know what to say to her butler since he had walked in on her sharing an intimate moment with her husband. Her blue eyes occasionally glanced over at Descole, hoping that he would eventually say something to finally break the awkward silence that filled the air.

Deciding to break the tension Raymond finally said "Master and Lady Melody, I came her to inform you both that dinner is ready. Lady Nora was the one who informed me you were both here after she told me you had sent her to check on me, Master."

Descole coughed into his hand in attempt to get over his embarrassment before replying "Ah yes I see. Very well, Raymond, Melody and I shall be in the dining room shortly."

Raymond bowed in reply before leaving the room. At that moment the married couple finally let out a deep sigh of relief now that the awkwardness was gone.  
Melody was fixing to leave until she felt Descole grabbed her by her arm and pull her close to him.

"Don't think this is over. We'll continue this discussion about my supposed 'clichés' tonight." he whispered in her ear.

The blonde-headed woman blushed before managing to slip her arm out of her husband's grip and leave the room.  
Descole couldn't help but grin to himself at how he managed to make his wife so flustered before leaving the room himself.

Later that day Denise silently sat her desk looking over her paperwork. She finally managed to get the job Bill Hawks had promised her but unfortunately that job position was as his science partner. She groaned at the thought she would have to still have to take orders from the man that had hurt and abused her for every question or objection she had to his orders. The paperwork in her hand was contracts she was being assigned to organize since once again the scientist had made some deals with companies, even shady ones.

She was focused on the paperwork until she heard the sound of footsteps. Her blue eyes glanced up just in time to see Clarence dash into the room while struggling to get his class assignments out of his bag.

"Whew, I almost didn't make it!" Clarence said as he sat down next to Denise.

"No kidding, you've never been this late before. Were you too distracted with your girlfriend?" the grayish-brown-headed woman said in a slight bitter tone as she hid away the contracts in her bag.

She remembered that part of the conditions of her being Bill Hawk's science partner was that she was not to show anyone the contracts under any circumstances; her only job was to look over them to make sure everything was in order.  
Clarence smiled nervously as he dug around his bag for his assignments. He wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal the news to one of his closest friends about Herminia's pregnancy. He kept digging around his back till all of the sudden he lost his grip on the bag, causing all of his papers to spill the floor.

"Don't worry, I'll help you pick them up." Denise said with a smile as she got out of her chair and kneeled down on the ground.

Clarence nodded and smiled to silently thank his friend before gathering up papers as well.  
The young woman was gathering up the all the papers lying at her feet and handing them over to the red-headed man. She picked up one and was fixing to hand it to Clarence until her blue eyes widened in shock. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw in her hands was medical papers from the hospital for a pregnancy test and all the results coming up as positive.

Despite fearing the answer Denise asked "Clarence, why do you have this?" as she handed him the paper.

Clarence mentally slapped himself when he saw he had forgotten to take the papers for the pregnancy test out of his bag but had forgotten due to being in a hurry. Now that his friend had seen the paper he had no choice but to reveal the truth. He took in a deep sigh before closing his eyes.

"Last night I proposed to Herminia. I purchased some wine to celebrate but we both ending up having one drink too many." he began to explain, "By the time I woke up this morning I found Herminia and both of us had absolutely no clothing. Knowing what had conspired Herminia and I paid a visit to the hospital to have her tested. It was there I found out Herminia is pregnant with my child."

Denise felt like her whole world shattered upon hearing this news. She began biting her lip in a attempt to prevent herself from breaking into sobs. The young woman couldn't deny that she loved Clarence with all her heart but to hear that not only he had proposed but had also gotten Herminia pregnant broke her heart. She now knew that no matter how much she wanted to deny it, Clarence and her would never have a future together for it was never wound in the first place.

Gathering up all her courage Denise managed to utter "I-I'm happy for you both."

Clarence frowned when he heard the tone of his friend's voice. To him her voice sounded so broken and defeated like she had lost every last hope in her heart. He wondered what would cause her to be so distressed over the news of the pregnancy. While it was true he had expected Denise to be upset for his carelessness, he hadn't expected her to look like she had lost everything that mattered to her. Before he could think about it further he heard the science teacher's voice speak up, signifying the beginning of class. Clarence casted one last concerned look toward Denise who had her head hung low where her hair was hiding away her face before directing his attention to the teacher.

But unknown to the red-headed man droplets of blood and water began dripping on Denise's desk. She had bit her lip so hard to try to prevent herself from crying that she had caused her lip to start bleeding. But even then the tears still managed to drip from her eyes despite her best efforts to force them back.


	18. Telling

Chapter 18

Six weeks had passed since Herminia discovered her pregnancy. Instead of wearing her usual white blouse and red waistcoat, the young woman slipped on a orange sweater in attempt to hide away the fact her baby bump started to show. While Herminia had told her friends about her current state, she still felt embarrassed about it and wanted to hide away her size for as long as she could. She let out a shaky sigh as she examined herself in the mirror; her brown eyes focused on the orange sweater that successfully was able to hide away her waist size. She let out a loud sigh before entering the living room.

 _"Can't believe it has already been a month. Only eight months to go and I'll be a mother."_ she thought with the bravest smile on her face.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Clarence walking out of the bathroom carrying a bucket of cleaning supplies and was wearing yellow rubber gloves and a white apron.

"Good news, I finally managed to clean up your mishap in the bathroom." the red-headed man said as he laid the bucket on the ground.

Herminia glanced nervously at the floor while shoving a few strands of her hair behind her ear. She had already apologized to her fiancé multiple times for her little accident; she had no idea her breakfast would come back to haunt her so quickly.  
Clarence shook his head with a grin to silently tell the young woman not to worry about it, after all he was fully aware it was only part of the pregnancy symptoms. Deciding to change the subject he focused his brown eyes on Hermina's sweater.

"Hey that's a pretty cute orange sweater. I didn't even knew you owned one." Clarence commented.

"Oh I had it lying around. I'm still embarrassed a bit over my new stomach size so I decided to wear this sweater since it's baggy enough to hide away my frame." Herminia replied before frowning and continued "Though I think it can only hide the details around a few days before I have to change shirt sizes."

"You're still embarrassed about that? Herminia, everyone already knows your pregnant and it's been six weeks." the young man said with a raised brow.

"Still it's embarrassing. It won't be long before I end up looking like a blimp." the brown-headed woman grumbled as she sat down on the couch.

Clarence rolled his eyes before removing his gloves and apron.

"So did you tell your parents?" Herminia asked in interest.

Upon hearing this the young man's body instantly froze as a nervous grin slowly formed on his face. He could tell his fiancé already knew his answer when he saw her eyebrows lowered while she was tapping her foot against the floor. Clarence hadn't told his parents about the pregnancy because he hadn't had the nerve to tell them due to him worrying over how they would react. He silently shuffled his feet against the floor while he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. He always went over the scenario over and over in his mind to try to figure out how he was going to tell his parents but even after six weeks he still wasn't sure of himself.

Wanting to get the topic off of him, Clarence asked "Well what about you? Did you tell your parents?"

Herminia instantly fell silent as she began tapping her fingers against each other while focusing her brown eyes on the ceiling. She didn't want to admit it but she hadn't told her parents of the news either. Her reason for not saying anything was because she wasn't sure how her parents would react to the fact she was pregnant all because she got drunk one night.

 _"Well it can't be any worse than what Descole would say if he was still around. He would probably call me a careless idiot or something along those lines."_ Herminia thought to herself.

At that moment her entire body froze and her eyes widened in realization at her thoughts. She wondered what could have possessed her to think about how a man that not only she barely knew anything about but also had disappeared seven years ago on what his reaction would be if he discovered her pregnancy. She squeezed her eyes shut with a groan as she placed her hand against her forehead in frustration. She didn't know why she felt so close to the mysterious masked man; all she knew was that she felt a bond with him that felt like it had been there for years.

"So you didn't tell either." Clarence said, snapping his fiancé out of her thoughts.

"Well it's just I really don't know what to say to them. How can you make the sentence 'I got drunk and slept with a man and now I'm pregnant.' not sound terrible?" Herminia replied.

"If I've known that I don't think I would be having so much trouble telling my own parents the news." the young man sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

The brown-headed woman closed her eyes as she placed her hand against her chin in thought. While she was still a bit nervous about telling her parents about her pregnancy, she knew it would be even worse for them to find out when she can't hide away the secret anymore. Without a word she opened up her eyes and got up off of the couch.

"Well I suppose we might as well face the music. Are you going to wait to tell your parents in person or are you going to tell them over the phone?" she said as got her red hat off of the coat rack.

"I think I'm going with phone not only because it'll be easier due to not having a lot of time off in my busy schedule but also so at least I could pull the phone away from my ear if my father starts yelling." Clarence replied as he took one of his hands out of his pocket and began rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright, if you need me I'll be at my parents." Herminia said.

She was fixing to walk out the door until her fiancé pointed out that it was a bit chilly that day and she should take a jacket. Following the young man's advice Herminia grabbed a brown trench coat with a very tall collar off of the coat rack. When she had it on she only buttoned up around her stomach while around her chest her orange sweater was clearly exposed. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and raised one of her brows in interest.

 _"Hmm this sweater and coat combination isn't too bad. Though perhaps it would go better if I had a brown hat."_ she thought to herself.

Figuring that the thoughts weren't important at the moment, Herminia shook her head for a few moments before leaving the apartment. Her heart pounded in anxiety at her given task but despite her fears the young woman knew it was too late to change her mind and continued on the path to her parents' house.

Meanwhile at the Nest, Emmett was going over some reports with Bronev about potential targets with knowledge about the Azran. The brown-headed young man tossed file after file on his father-figure's desk every single time Bronev considered the target useless.

"Well here's some information that comes from America, Uncle Leon. A couple of agents have found a potential target that could help solve the puzzles left behind by the Azran, the file says the target is a fourteen year-old girl named Phoenix Wright but some of her friends refer to her as Nix." Emmett said.

"Tell our agents not to concern themselves with her. By the looks of the photo file she looks like an idiot. No there's no way that girl can solve any puzzle." the crime boss said, his voice dripping with a bit of disgust.

The brown-headed man nodded his head before throwing the file away along with all the other rejected target files. The young man let out a sigh as he kept looking through different files with a frown. Emmett partially wasn't too fond of the idea of having to kidnap people with no questions asked, but what set him off even more was when he heard Bronev had killed a client who was refusing to cooperate. He remembered the shock he felt as he tried to comprehend the fact that the one person that was kind enough to take him in as a orphan actually murdered someone.

Unknown to Bronev, Emmett was actually beginning to grow concerned with his father-figure's obsession with the Azran. Every single time Bronev would call him into his office he would have to listen to the man go on and on about how they were closer to find the treasure of the ancient civilization known as the Golden Garden, the Kingdom of Harmony, and the Nautilus Chamber. But because of his loyalty and gratefulness to Bronev, Emmett never did once try to utter a single word about his concerns.

"By the way do any of the targent agents have reports on Herminia or that masked man Jean Descole?" Bronev asked, prompting the young man to snap out of his thoughts.

"Uh no, Uncle Leon. We still can't find either Herminia or Descole, both of their locations are still unknown." Emmett answered.

The dirty-blonde haired man let out a frustrated breath as he took off his sunglasses. His brown eyes glared bitterly at the pictures of Herminia and Descole. All he wanted was for them to understand what he was trying to accomplish. In his mind he believed the two didn't understand because they weren't there to see his wife die. He thought that for the two to understand that he had to force both of them to submit to Targent and that only then would they realize his goal and sympathize with him.

Growing concerned because of Bronev's silence, Emmett finally spoke up "Uncle Leon, are you alright?"

Bronev rubbed his fingers against the bridge of his nose before slipping back on his sunglasses.

He took in a deep breath through his nose before replying "Yes I'm fine, Emile. Now go with some agents to see if you can finally figure out where our missing client Melody is hiding."

The brown-headed frowned at the fact he was once again addressed by his formal name before nodding his head in reply. He didn't want to think about what Bronev would do to Melody if he ever manages to track down her hiding place. But despite this Emmett chose to bury his feeling and follow orders, after all he owed Bronev everything because if the crime boss hadn't taken him in he would still be a orphan on the streets.

Later that day Herminia took in quick and frantic breaths as she knocked on the front door to her parents' home. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she rubbed one of her arms nervously. Finally the door opened up to reveal her mother Lucille Layton.

"Ah, Herminia!" Lucille exclaimed as she pulled her daughter into a hug, "How's my sweetie doing?"

"Everything is alright, mother. Is it alright if I can come in?" Herminia replied with a smile.

Her mother smiled brightly as she lead her daughter inside the house. Once inside Lucille helped her daughter out of her brown coat and hung it up on the coat rack for her. Knowing that her daughter would want some tea she had Herminia sit down at the kitchen table while she went over to the counter to prepare some tea.  
Roland was sitting at the kitchen table working on a the newspaper's crossword puzzle before lowering it in surprise when he saw his daughter enter the room.

"Well, Herminia, what a surprise to see you here!" the white-bearded man said with a chuckle, "Has university life been keeping you from visiting more often?"

"Actually yeah, my schedule became jammed packed ever since I've been working for my doctorate's degree. Though I had teachers comment if I kept up the good work I could possibly end up becoming the youngest person to become a professor at Gressenhellar University." Herminia replied.

The brown-headed woman felt a bit calmer to see her parents happy faces but she still worried that their personality might change with her news. Her brown eyes watched as her mother placed a cup of tea in front of her. The young woman muttered a thank you before picking up the cup and taking a few sips.

"So how has been things been with you and Clarence?" Lucille asked.

Herminia silently sat down her cup and remained silent for a few moments. She knew it was time to tell them and she only hoped that they wouldn't be too angry with her. Gathering up her courage Herminia took in a deep breath to settle her nerves.

"Mother and Father, there's something a need to tell you." she said in a brave tone, "I'm pregnant."

Lucille instantly let out a loud gasp while Roland dropped the newspaper he was holding.

"I didn't even mean for it to happen." Herminia continued as she began clenching her fists, "Clarence had proposed to me that night and even got wine to celebrate. We were both too careless with how many drinks we had and ended up getting both of ourselves drunk. When Clarence and I woke up that next morning after discovering we slept together during our drunk haze we both went to the hospital were the tests revealed the pregnancy to us."

The brown-headed woman began growing nervous when her parents didn't utter a word. She couldn't tell if her parents were angry with her or were happy for her. Just then much to her surprise Lucille dashed over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Herminia, that's so wonderful! I can't believe that not only you and Clarence are getting married, but I'm also going to be a grandma!" Lucille said happily but then she gave a light whack on the top of her daughter's head before continuing "Still you know what I told you about alcohol!"

Herminia blinked in surprise as she stared up at her mother completely speechless. She was prepared for them to scold her over being so careless and the fact she would eventually have to balance out college life with raising a child. She glanced over at her father and saw he didn't look angry either. At that moment a wave of relief washed over her as she returned her mother's embrace. While she knew they were disappointed in her for making a poor choice they were still happy for her.

Back with Clarence he groaned as he sat out in the courtyard. He had called his parents and like he had expected they scolded him for his poor choice. His ear still was ringing from hearing's his father's yells about he was suppose to be focusing on his science degree but because of his mistake he was now having to deal with the consequences for getting his fiancé pregnant. Fortunately his parents agreed to help continue pay his university bills but they refused to give him any money to help with the baby. Without a word he buried his face in his arms, wondering how he was suppose to get money to take care of his unborn child.

He remained like that until he heard a voice say "Well what a surprise to see you here, Clarence."

The red-headed man instantly lifted up his head to see Denise sit down next to him. He frowned when he saw dark circles underneath his friend's eyes. He knew Denise's science partner Bill Hawks made her frequently do late shifts, causing her not to get much sleep. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the young woman gently jab her elbow against his shoulder due to his lack of reply.

"Oh yeah I came here to think." he finally answered.

"Exactly about what?" Denise asked as she rested her head on her hand.

"About Herminia's pregnancy." Clarence replied in a stern tone.

Upon hearing those words, a moment of hurt flashed in Denise's blue eyes. She was doing her best not to think about the pregnancy since it only served her as a reminder how she wasn't ever going to be with the man she loved. But deciding to be a good friend she prompted Clarence to explain to her what happened. As she heard the young man's tale unfold how his parents won't even help take care of their own grandchild she clenched her teeth in anger. She believed they were being foolish and should have realized how much of a hard worker Clarence was.

"How are you going to get the money?" Denise asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know. I'm too busy to get a job at the moment." Clarence said as he brushed some of his bangs out of his face.

The grayish-brown-headed woman remained silent as she stared at the ground. Even if the child wasn't hers, Denise still wanted to do something to help the young man out of the strong feelings she had for him. That was when an idea struck her; she could give up some of her job payments to help Clarence take care of his child. She didn't care if she would be getting less money from her job, all that mattered to her was helping Clarence.

With her mind set she exclaimed "Clarence, I'll give you the money!"

"What?!" the red-headed man exclaimed out of shock.

"I can give you some money from my paychecks so you can take care of the baby. Here I'll even give you some starting cash." Denise said before digging in her pockets and pulling out some cash.

"Denise, I can't accept you money. You earned it from your job and it wouldn't feel right." Clarence said with a frown as he pushed the money away from him.

With determination in her eyes, the young woman grabbed ahold of her friend's wrist and slapped the cash into his open palm.

"No, you take it, Clarence! You need it more than I do and I want to help you." Denise said in a stern tone.

Clarence blinked his brown eyes in shocked as he stared at his determined friend. He couldn't believe she was willing to give up some of her hard earned cash from work just so he could help support his and Herminia's child. Overwhelmed with feelings of happiness he instantly pulled the young woman into a hug before thanking her with tears of happiness streaking down his face.  
Denise could barely breath as she felt her heart rapidly beating in her chest. It was the first time Clarence had ever embraced her like that. Her blue eyes remained wide in shock as her body remained as stiff as a board, frightened of making a single move.  
After a few seconds Clarence let go of her and pulled out his pocket watch.

"Ah Herminia should be coming back from her parents any minute now. I better get back to the apartment and see how her discussion went. Anyways I'll see you tomorrow in class, Denise!" the young man said before standing up and dashing off.

Denise remained frozen in her spot as the only thing she could hear in the courtyard were birds singing. Without a word she finally lifted up her hand and placed it against her chest. She could still feel her heart beating fast at the fact that was the closest she had ever gotten to having an intimate moment with Clarence. Upon realizing this a small smile formed on her face; while she knew there was never any chance Clarence would return her love since his heart already belonged to Herminia she now had new hope of the fact she could be close enough to the young man to partially heal her aching heart. With that set in mind she closed her blue eyes in content, looking forward to the future.


	19. Kicks

Chapter 19

Herminia groaned with her eyes squeezed shut. She was now six months pregnant and she wasn't enjoying the occasionally kicks she would receive from her unborn child. She tried to focus on Dr. Schrader's archeology lesson as she placed a hand on her swollen stomach to ease the pain. Her brown eyes snapped open when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Herminia turned her head to see her friend Clark looking a bit concerned for the young woman.

"Herminia, are you sure you shouldn't just stay at your apartment. You're not looking too good." Clark said.

The brown-headed woman clenched her teeth for a moment in pain when she felt another kick before replying "I'm fine, Clark. Pregnant or not I'm going to attend all the classes I can. I need that doctorate's degree more than ever. With a job I can help Clarence raise our son."

At that moment the dirty-blond-headed man raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't know that Herminia and Clarence had finally found out the gender of their child. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the young woman hiss for a moment in pain. He figured the baby was probably starting a fuss which could be the reason why Herminia was receiving pain from kicking. In attempt to help her, Clark offered his hand to his friend.  
Herminia nodded her head in thanks before she grasped ahold of Clark's hand, giving it a tight squeeze every time she felt another kick.

Clark clenched his teeth together in pain whenever the young woman squeezed his hand; he had no idea the young woman would make her grip so tight. To try to distract himself from the pain he looked around the room to see if he could spot Pauline somewhere. While he did not miss the black-haired woman due to the fact he found her annoying, he was curious at where the woman could have possibly vanished to since she had been missing for six months. All of the sudden his thoughts were caught off when Herminia yelped in pain, causing her to nearly to crush his hand, prompting him to yell out in pain.

Dr. Schrader heard this and immediately stopped his lesson to see the Herminia holding her stomach while Clark was holding his sore hand with the expression of pain on his face.

"Is every thing alright Ms. Layton and Mr. Triton?" the gray-bearded man asked.

"Yes, everything is fine, Mr. Schrader!" Clark immediately replied, trying to hide away the pain in his voice.

Dr. Schrader narrowed his eyes as he began to take one hand to stroke his beard. He could already tell that the young man was lying. He could tell especially by looking at Herminia since her face wore a tired and pained expression. He let out a loud sigh before shaking his head, wondering why the young woman still insisted on coming to his class when clearly she was in no state to do so.

Deciding to do something about the matter he finally said "Ms. Layton, you clearly are feeling under the weather which is normal for what you're going through. I suggest you go home and don't worry about coming to my classes until you're in a state to do so."

Upon hearing this Herminia immediately jumped up from her chair in panic.

"No I can't do that! I want to come to class!" she exclaimed.

"Ms. Layton, you're clearly in pain. The best thing for you at the moment is to rest, you shouldn't force the strain on yourself." Dr. Schrader argued.

"But I can still attend class! What must I do to prove I'm still in a state to attend class?" Herminia instantly argued back.

The archeologist closed his eyes as he stroked his beard in thought. He couldn't believe how dedicated his student was to the subject of archeology. He was fully aware how Herminia was one of the most hard-working students in the class but the fact she was insisting to stay in class despite being in pain baffled him. Still Dr. Schrader couldn't find it in his heart to turn away the determined young woman so he came up with an idea. He opened up his eyes and went over the blackboard and sketched up a diagram.

Once he finished he turned toward Herminia and said "Solve this puzzle and I'll be convinced you're still in a state to attend class."

The brown-headed woman nodded her head in understanding before walking up to the front of the classroom. She made her way up to the blackboard and took in a deep breath before picking up the chalk. Her teeth clenched a few times as she began solving the puzzle, trying to force her way through the pain. Herminia was convinced that she could bare through the pain just like she did with the pain over Randall's death back when she attended Kingsbrook Academy. But much to her surprise as she continued to solve the puzzle, the baby's kicking began to cease. Her brown eyes widened in surprise when the pain that once was there was now replaced by dull throbbing.

Once she solved the puzzle she placed the chalk back down and turned toward her teacher.  
Dr. Scharder examined the solution for a moment till finally he hummed when he saw the young woman had wrote down the right answer. Without a word he turned toward Herminia with both of his hands clasped together behind his back.

"Well, Ms. Layton, it seems you solved the puzzle. I suppose that means you're still in a state to attend class." the gray-bearded man said in a stern tone, "Very well take your seat so I may continue my lecture where I left off."

Herminia nodded her head before walking back to her seat.  
Clark stared in surprise when he saw the pained look on his friend's face was gone. He began to wonder what could have possibly helped the young woman's pain to cease so quickly.

Wanting an answer he asked "Herminia, exactly how are you feeling better all of the sudden?"

"Believe it or not but it was when I was solving the puzzle. Solving puzzles help me relax at times so I guess because I was so calm it helped calm the baby down." the brown-headed woman answered.

"That or your unborn son apparently likes puzzles as well." Clark joked with a grin, glad to see his friend was feeling better.

"The baby liking puzzles? I guess the possibility is all ways there." Herminia replied with a smile as she patted her stomach a bit.

Meanwhile in another part of London, Nora sat at her father's blueprint table with a bored expression. She let out a huff as her father was busy discussing with Raymond about the proper equipment for the construction of the drills he needed. Her blue eyes remained focused on her father as she purposely let out a loud sigh in attempt to catch her father's attention. When Descole still didn't respond his daughter let out an even louder sigh.  
Noticing Nora's boredom, Raymond grabbed ahold of Descole's shoulder, prompting the young man to glance his brown eyes toward the butler.

"Master, I apologize for interrupting you but it seems you're daughter would like to spend some time with you." Raymond stated as he gestured his freehand toward the little girl.

Descole opened his mouth a bit when he realized he was accidentally being neglectful to his daughter. Understanding what he had to do, the young man dismissed his butler before walking over to his daughter.  
Nora instantly perked her head up when she felt her father grab her by the torso and lift her up into his arms.

"Sorry, Nora. I forgot I promised to play with you." Descole admitted with a sheepish grin, "So exactly what do you want to do?"

Nora placed her index finger against her lips and proceeded to tap them in thought.

She was silent for a few seconds before she exclaimed "I want to ride on the horsey with you!"

Descole knew instantly that when his daughter said horsey she was referring to their brown horse named John. The horse was purchased by his wife Melody two years ago and his daughter Nora loved the horse ever since. Not wanting to disappoint his only child, Descole nodded his head before preceding to head outside with his daughter.  
Nora giggled and laughed as she and her father approached the brown horse. She smiled when she saw horse walked up to them and allowed her to hug its snout.

"Hi, horsey! Daddy is going to let me ride with him on you! Doesn't that sound fun?" she said.

The horse neighed before shaking around his mane, prompting the little girl to laugh once more.  
Descole couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight before him. Without a word he sat his daughter down on the wooden bench so he could get the saddle on John. Once the saddle was prepared he picked up his daughter once more and carried her over to the brown horse. He boosted her up on the saddle, making sure she had a good grip before climbing up himself. To insure Nora didn't fall off Descole secured his arms around her before grabbing ahold of the reigns.

"Are you ready?" he asked his daughter.

Nora rapidly nodded her head; her smile beaming in excitement.  
With that said Descole jerked on the reigns prompting the horse to start running. It made him happy to her his daughter's laughter and squeals as her hair whipped around. He could hear his daughter makes comments about the horse going faster and how she almost felt like flying. Without hesitation he complied with each of his daughter's command, making the horse gallop as fast as it could across the grass.

"Herminia would have loved to meet Nora. I'm sure she would had been thrilled at the discovery she's a aunt." Descole thought to himself.

While it only made him slightly depressed at the fact he could never reveal to his sister about her neice and sister-in law; he knew it had to be done to insure Targent would discover neither of their locations. All that mattered to him was his family and his sister's happiness, as long as Herminia didn't remember what Targent did all those years ago he was content. He continued to ride around for a few moments before finally he pulled on the reigns to make the horse stop in his tracks.

Silently he climbed off of the horse before lifting Nora off the horse as well. With a smile he stroked John's snout as he told him that he could rest now. The horse neighed as Descole removed the saddle before walking around to eat some grass. The young man put away the saddle before turning to see his daughter happily clinging onto his arm.

"Daddy, can you tell me a story?" she asked.

Descole raised a brow surprise upon hearing this request. Normally it was his wife Melody that would tell Nora stories. He bit his lip as his mind sorted through different stories but when it came down to it he only knew of one certain story. That story was the one his mother use to tell him and Herminia back when they were still living together. Seeing no harm in telling his daughter he sat down on the wooden bench, having his daughter sit next to him.

"Alright, Nora. Let me tell you the story of the man that was a hero among the citizens of the kingdom but a infamous rogue in the eyes of the king. This is the story of Jean Descole the rogue." he started as his mind recalled when he first heard the story.

"Please, Thelina, I'm tired. Why can't you go to sleep in your room?" a young Descole asked with a yawn.

"I'm scared, Hershel. The lightning is too noisy and it frightens me." the younger Herminia whimpered.

At that moment a lightning flashed by the window, caused the loud sound of thunder to erupt. Herminia unleashed a frightened scream before she clung onto her brother sobbing.  
Descole looked around the room frantically, unsure how to calm his sister down. He was worried until he saw a woman with long wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing a orange dress, a gold bracelet, and brown shoes.

"What's happened in here?" the woman asked in concern.

"Mum, Thelina is scared of the lightning and refuses to go to sleep." the brown-headed boy answered with a groan.

The little girl whimpered a bit as she buried her face in her brother's chest, refusing to lift her head out of fear of the lightning striking again.  
Descole's mother frowned before walking over to her two children. She kneeled down next to them and grasped ahold of Herminia's chin, prompting her daughter to turn her head toward her and reveal her tear stained cheeks.

 

"Would it helped it I told you a story?" her mother asked as she cleaned away the little girl's tears.

Herminia nodded her head, prompting her mother to stand up and sit down on the bed. Without haste she quickly let go of her brother and crawled up on the bed before laying her head on her mother's lap. Hermina's mother smiled as she stroked her daughter's brown hair for a moment. Her brown eyes glanced over at her son to see him standing with his arms crossed as he refused to sit on the bed as well, beleving it was childish. His mother smiled as she used her free hand to pat the empty space next to her to tell her son to take a seat. Unable to resisit his mother Descole sighed before sitting down next to his mother.

"Now the story I'm about to tell you is about a man." she began, "A man that was a hero among the citizens of the kingdom but a infamous rogue in the eyes of the king. This is the story of Jean Descole the rogue."

The two children listened in interest and wonder as their mother spoke the tale of a kingdom where a corrupt and evil king ruled and made the people in the kingdom suffer. One man one day grew tired of the king's tyranny and decided to fight against the king's soldiers who were sent to collect the money from the citizens. That man was named Jean Descole. The man was hailed a hero by the citizens but the king grew enraged that a subject had dared to defy him. Because of his rage he ordered his soldiers to arrest the man and have him executed to make him an example to the citizens.

But fortunately the man was saved by a maiden who discovered the king's plan. The maiden warned the man and encouraged him to seek out the wise dragon that would grant him the power to slay the king. The man had traveled for months alone, each day growing worried about the citizens that were suffering without his presence there. One day he stumbled upon a cave where he found a sword but before he could take the sword a dragon attacked him. He knew instantly the dragon was the wise dragon the maiden had sent him to seek. He pleaded the dragon for the power to slay the king so he may free the civilians from the king's tyranny.

The dragon revealed to him that the sword would grant him that power but that the blade was cursed. If he were to pick up the blade he would be forced to become a wanderer, should he stay in a place too long those who had grown close to him would have tragedy fallen upon them. Not caring about the burden he would have to bare, the man claimed the sword. With haste he traveled back to the kingdom where he fought the king. In the end the cruel king was slain and the citizens were freed from his tyranny. Remembering the curse the man left the kingdom despite the people's pleas to protect them from tragedy. But he promised that maybe one day he would return.

Herminia's mother smiled when she saw her daughter was now sound asleep on her lap.

"Well I suppose I should get Thelina to bed." her mother said.

But before she got the chance to pick her daughter up Descole cried out "Wait, it wouldn't harm her to sleep in here with me."

His mother blinked in surprise before slowly a smile formed on her face.

"So are you wanting to be Thelina's Descole?" she said.

Descole keep his mouth shut as his eyes began to glance around the room, refusing to give his mother eyes contact.  
The brown headed woman laughed before walking over and kissing her son on the head. With that done she quietly left the room.  
Once his mother was gone Descole grabbed his sister by her shoulders and pulled her over where her head rested on his lap.

"Don't worry, Thelina, I'll protect you from the lightning." he whispered as he rested his hand on her shoulder, "Because I am your Descole."

Descole had finished his flashback the same time he had finished telling his daughter the story. His brown eyes glanced down to see Nora sleeping peacefully on his lap. He smiled as he lifted her up where her head rested on his shoulder before heading back inside the house.

Later that day back with Herminia she was sitting on the couch eating some soup in an attempt to fight against her nausea. Her brown eyes glance at the apartment door when she saw her fiancé finally come home.

"So what took you so long?" she asked.

"I was talking with Denise. She thinks she can hook me up with a job. She's going to try to convince her partner Bill Hawks to take me on as a lab assistant." Clarence explained as he grabbed a chair from the kitchen and sat down next to his fiancé.

The brown-headed woman smiled as she placed the now empty soup bowl on the coffee table. But as she laid back she let out a yelp when she felt a certain kick once again except this one wasn't painful like the ones she was experiencing in class.

"Feels like our baby is happy you're home too." she noted with a smile.

Clarence was raised his brows in surprise at this comment before his fiancé grabbed ahold of his wrist guided his hand where it lay on her swollen stomach. He couldn't help but grin when he felt the kicks as well. The young man grew more anxious and excited each day the time for his baby to be born grew closer. Without a word he rest his head against Herminia's as he clasped his hand around hers.

"Never thought we would be parents at this age." he commented.

"Seems like only yesterday when I was talking to you about the subject. " Herminia replied with a small laugh.

"Speaking of which we were both talking about what we would name our baby if it was a boy. Since we know we're going to have a son, are you still sticking with the idea of naming him Ryan?" Clarence said.

The brown-headed woman shook her head with a small smile on her face. She moved her head where her fiancé's head was no longer resting on hers. Instead they were both now face to face.

"I've been thinking lately and..." she started as her hand reached up and grasped ahold of the red-headed man's chin, prompting him to lean closer, "I think that you were right. Alfendi is a better fitting name."

Clarence let a chuckle escape his mouth upon hearing this before his fiancé pulled him into a kiss. The kiss only last for a few minutes before the two finally pulled apart.  
Herminia brown's eyes glanced down at her swollen abdomen as she gently rubbed her hand up and down on it.

"I can't wait to finally see you, Alfendi." she thought to herself.

It wouldn't be long before her son would finally be born.


	20. Alfendi

Chapter 20

"Now, Herminia, in times like these it's important to stay calm!" Clarence said with a nervous smile.

"Calm? How could I be calm when I've gone into labor?!" Herminia screamed.

The red-headed man was pacing around in his apartment due to the fact his fiancé was finally giving birth after nine months. He kept pacing till finally Clark and Brenda rushed into the apartment. He had called Clark because unlike him he actually owned a car.

"I got your call what's happened?" Clark asked.

But he quickly got his answer when he heard Herminia yell in pain. Realizing what was happening his face turned pale and his eyes widened.  
Brenda not wanting to waste any time ran over to the brown-headed woman and began to help her out of the apartment. She kept telling the young woman to take in deep breaths to help bare through the pain.  
Herminia clenched her teeth as her eyes squeezed shut in pain as she followed her friend's advice and took in deep breaths. She had never imagined that child birth would be so agonizingly painful.

Clarence bit his lip in concern as he dashed out to the car with Clark. Different thoughts and worries ran through his mind as he sat down next to his fiancé. He wasn't sure what was going to happen or if Herminia was going to come out of the delivery completely unscathed since he heard that many things could go wrong during deliveries. It wasn't long till they finally made it to the hospital. Wanting to stay with Herminia, Clarence chose to go with the doctors and nurses to the delivery room.

"I'm going to need you to keep her calm, she should be experiencing more frequent contractions. I suggest letting her squeeze your hand to bare through the pain." the doctor said.

The red-headed man nodded his head before he allowed his fiancé grasp his hand.  
Herminia kept taking in deep breaths as her hand squeezed Clarence's. She kept following the doctor's orders as she was trying to bare through the pain. The whole process felt like hours to her with her laying on the hospital bed in constant pain. At times she sometimes felt like passing out from the pain a few times but fortunately she was able to cling onto her conscious.

"Alright just one last push!" the doctor said.

"Please let it be! My hand has lost all feeling!" Clarence whimpered in pain.

Herminia nodded her head before following the command, crying out in pain as she did so. Finally her pain ceased and she heard crying fill the air. She gasped and heaved as her body was finally relaxing. She glanced over at her fiancé and gave him an embarrassed smile in apology when she saw him constantly flex his fingers on his sore hand. She instantly whipped her head away when she heard the nurse approach her holding a small baby boy wrapped in blue blankets.

"Meet your son." the nurse said as she handed the young woman the baby.

Herminia smiled down at her son, seeing the baby had golden colored eyes and a bit of purple hair on top of his head. Silently she rubbed her thumb against her baby's cheek as she watched her son look around the room in amazement.

"Hi, Alfendi. I'm your mother." she whispered as she held the baby close to her chest.

Clarence stopped flexing his hand and leaned over next to his wife so he could see his newborn son. He was very surprised when he saw Alfendi's golden colored eyes when he had expected his son would be born with brown eyes. As for the hair he considered the color a mixture of his and Herminia's hair color. But what happened next surprised both of the parents of the newborn child. Without warning Alfendi began crying and before everyone's eyes his hair changed from purple to bright red.

"Wha-what's that about?" Clarence stuttered in shock.

"I've heard of people changing eye color with emotions but never hair color." Herminia commented.

Deciding to test the theory the brown-headed woman began gently rocking her baby and comforting him. When she managed to get his crying to stop sure enough Alfendi's hair changed back to it's original purple color. She was very confused on why her son's hair changed with emotions but for the moment she chose to ignore it since what mattered to her at the moment was her son.

After a series of check-ups, Herminia was eventually allowed to return home. She continued to hold Alfendi in her arms as one of the nurses pushed her in a wheelchair back to the emergency room with Clarence trailing behind. Once they made it there they were greeted by Clark and Brenda who had chosen to wait in the waiting room during all that time to make sure their friend was alright.  
Brenda gasped in awe as she leaned over Herminia's shoulder to see the baby bundled in blankets in her arms.

"Oh, Herminia, he's beautiful!" Brenda said.

"His name is Alfendi, Alfendi Layton." Herminia said.

Brenda was amazed at the sight before her. Without warning she clung onto Clark's shoulder while exclaiming how now she wanted a child as well.  
Clark's face immediately turned bright red; he hadn't even asked his girlfriend to marry him and now the fact she was wanting a child was baffling. Unsure how to respond he rubbed his neck, wondering if he should make his girlfriend wait or finally get around to proposing to her.

A few months had passed since Herminia had given birth. She let out a tired huff as she was trying to gather up her research papers with one hand while she was using the other to hold Alfendi against her chest. She gently bounced her son up and down a bit as the sound of his wailing filled the air. She couldn't prevent the exhausted groan that escaped her mouth when she finally gathered up the last of her reports. It made her wish that Clarence was there to help take care of their son. But unfortunately for the young woman her fiancé was unavailable because just like Denise promised she managed to get Clarence signed on as a lab assistant. Now he spends a lot of his time helping Bill Hawks and Denise with lab experiments.

Having grown tired of her son's cries she placed her papers on the table and raised her hand up as she began gently patting him on the back. She constantly shushed him in a gentle voice, listening as his sobbing began to grow quieter and quieter. Finally much to her relief Alfendi's sobbing stopped and his hair changed back to purple, indicating he had calmed down. The young woman let out a sigh of relief but unfortunately that peace didn't last long. At that moment the phone began ringing, causing Alfendi to start crying again and Herminia to narrow her brown eyes in annoyance.

 _"And I just got him to calm down."_ she thought to herself.

Deciding to see who was calling Herminia answered the phone while trying to calm her son down so she could hear. Much to her surprise the caller was her archeology teacher Dr. Schrader.

"Ah, Layton, I apologize for calling. If you can't talk I'll call you later." the gray-bearded man apologized when he heard the baby's crying.

"No, it's fine. Alfendi is just fussy today. Now what is it you called about?" she quickly replied.

"Oh um yes. Layton, you're one of my most dedicated students in the class and you're on your way to becoming the youngest professor at Gressenhellar University." he began to explain, "But I think you'll need someone younger to talk to you to give you an idea of the responsibilities you'll have to bare as a professor. So I called in this young aspiring professor to talk to you. He's a little older than you but I think he's right for the job."

"Alright, what's his name?" Herminia asked, wanting to be fully informed.

"Ah yes. His name is Desmond Sycamore." Dr. Schrader answered.

"Oh I think I heard about him. He's that archeologist that kind of came out of no where. I heard everyone note that despite only recently becoming professor he's shocked everyone with his research. Some people are even asking him to look into the Azran because of his knowledge." the brown-headed woman replied.

When she thought about the professor's name she was confused on how attached she felt to the name. She almost felt like she knew Sycamore but by a different name. She quickly brushed off the thought, convincing herself it was an odd feeling since she had never met Sycamore in her entire life as far as she knew. After confirming that she would be meeting the professor that day, she thanked her teacher before hanging up. Her brown eyes focused on Alfendi who was no longer crying but instead sniffling as his small hands clung onto her white blouse that she started wearing again.

"Well, Alfendi, I guess you're going to meet your first professor." Herminia noted with a small grin.

Later that day Descole was clenching his teeth nervously as he waited in Dr. Schrader's office. He was shocked when he had received the call from the Univeristy with the offer to speak with his sister. It had been three years since he had seen Herminia and he only hoped his attire as Desmond Sycamore would prevent her from recognizing him. He didn't want her to realize he was her brother and risk Targent coming after them both. He was awoken from his thoughts when he felt someone tugging on his jacket's sleeve. He turned his head to see his daughter sitting in the chair on her kness while tugging on his sleeve.

"Daddy, how much longer do we have to wait for that lady?" Nora whined.

"Well, Nora, I tried to tell you it would be a bit boring but you insisted on coming with me." Descole responded as he laid his hand on his daughter's head.

"But I didn't know I couldn't play here!" the little girl instantly exclaimed.

"Well just be patient. Once I'm done speaking to the lady we'll head back home. But for now we both have to be respectful and wait." he said as he pulled his daughter into a small hug.

The brown-headed man couldn't help but grin when he watched his daughter sit down in the chair properly while crossing her arms with a pout. He figured Nora would act like that since a university isn't really an ideal place for a child, especially a office. Finally he directed his attention to the door when heard it began to open. At that moment his body froze and his brown eyes widened when he saw Herminia enter the room while carrying Alfendi in her arms. He knew that his sister wasn't just babysitting someone else's child due to hearing about how dedicated she is to becoming a professor. He knew the child in her arms had to be her son and in turn his nephew.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Sycmore. I'm Herminia Layton." his sister greeted as she held out her free-hand.

Descole quickly shook his head to get over his shock before shaking Herminia's hand.

"Yes, quite nice to meet you." he replied, "Um forgive me for staring like that but I wasn't expecting that you had a child."

"Oh you mean Alfendi here. I couldn't find anyone to watch him so I had no choice to bring him to the meeting. He'll be fine unless he starts crying." Herminia admitted while bouncing her son in her arm a bit.

The brown-headed man continued to keep his brown eyes focused on the baby. Upon examination he saw Alfendi was only a few months old which meant that Herminia had gotten herself pregnant during the three year gap he was away from her. Many thoughts were running through his mind like congratulating his sister, demanding how she even got pregnant in the first place, and commenting his happiness about being an uncle. But for the sake of keeping his true identity a secret he didn't utter a single word.

But before Descole could say anything else his daughter Nora instantly exclaimed "Oh a baby!"

Herminia instantly blinked in surprise when she saw the little brown-haired and blue-eyed girl run up to her, begging to get a closer look at the baby. She didn't know why but she felt surprised at the fact the professor before her had a daughter.

"Oh this is Nora. I tried to leave her at home but she insisted on coming with me." Descole said while mindlessly adjusting his red glasses.

"Can I please see the baby?" Nora pleaded while jumping up and down.

Herminia bit her lip in confusion. She didn't know why but she wanted to make the girl happy despite only just having meet her. She glanced her brown eyes up at Descole to make sure if he was okay with it, causing her to make eye contact with him. When she saw his crimson like eyes she gasped quietly as a wave of familiarity rushed over her. She could have sworn she had seen those eyes long ago but she couldn't remember no matter how hard she tried.

Seeing that his sister was checking for his approval Descole answered "Yes it's alright."

The brown-headed woman nodded her head in understanding. She was fixing to kneel down to let Nora get a good look at Alfendi until an idea popped in her head. Without warning she began placing Alfendi into Descole's arm.  
The brown-headed man tried to object to the idea until his sister pointed out to him that maybe his daughter would be more careful if he was the one holding him. Descole said nothing as he stared down at his nephew. He couldn't find any words to speak as Alfendi's golden-colored eyes stared back up at him. Much to his surprise the baby began laughing and reaching up toward his face.

"I've never seen Alfendi take so well to a stranger." Herminia commented, "Usually when a stranger holds him his hair starts turning red."

"I beg your pardon?" Descole replied in confusion.

"Oh of course, I forgot to explain that." the young woman admitted while rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, "You see Alfendi was born with a strange condition that causes his hair to change color base on his emotions. When he's calm, relaxed, or happy his hair is purple like you see now. When he's angry, sad, or frightened his hair changes into a bright crimson color. I still don't know why it happens."

The brown-headed man nodded in understanding before sitting down in a chair so his daughter could see the baby.  
Nora instantly climbed into the chair next to her father and leaned over where she could see Alfendi. She wanted to reach out to touch the baby but Descole stopped her when he noticed Alfendi's hair change slightly to the shade of red, indicating he was frightened by the little girl leaning so close to him. Nora leaned back when her father urged her to do so, watching as the shade of red faded from the baby's hair.

"He's a cute baby." Nora pointed out.

"Well you're a cute girl yourself. I bet tons of people told your parents that they had a beautiful daughter." Herminia commented.

The little girl nodded her head rapidly with a bright smile.  
Seeing his daughter was done looking at the baby, Descole carefully handed Alfendi back over to his sister. He couldn't hide the grin forming on his face as he watched his sister lovingly hold her son against her chest, prompting Alfendi to fall asleep. He only stopped grinning when he noticed the young woman raised a brow of confusion toward him, meaning she caught him grinning at her.

Trying to change the subject Descole immediately coughed in his hand before saying "So I think we should start our discussion. After all your teacher did call me in because you're interested in becoming a professor."

Herminia frowned slightly at the fact the young man was wanting to change the topic so suddenly before replying "Yes I suppose so."

Without a word she sat down in a chair across from Descole as the two began discussing the responsibilities she would have to take on as a professor. Throughout the whole discussion Herminia was unable to banish two thoughts that continued to haunt her mind and those thoughts were why Alfendi took so well to the professor and why that very same professor reminded her of Descole. The two young adults talked for a while until finally they reached the end of their discussion when they both had felt there was nothing more to talk about.

"Well I thank you for talking to me. Your words gave me new insight to my responsibilities as a professor." Herminia said as she shook Descole's hand with her free hand.

"The pleasure's mine. It's nice to see you so dedicated to the topic, Layton." he replied.

As Herminia let go of her brother's hand she said "Oh I just remembered, there's one more question I must ask."

"And what would that be?" Descole asked with a raised brow.

The brown-headed woman took in a shaky breath before asking "What am I suppose to do if someone approaches me about the Azran? I heard that people are asking you to do research on the ancient civilization and I was hoping you could give me advice."

Upon hearing the name of the ancient civilization Descole fell silent. He couldn't believe his sister was bringing up a topic he wanted to leave buried in the past. While it was true people had approached him about doing research on the Azran, he turned down every single one of their offers since to him it seemed like the Azran only ever brought tragedy to whoever tried to learn their secrets. He and Melody were living proof of that.  
Herminia began to grow concerned at the young man's silence. She didn't imagine asking a question would invoke that kind of response. She had only asked due to the fact while she had been studying the Azran, the words from her dream still terrified her deeply and she wanted advice so she could know whether to push forward or not.

Fortunately the silence was broken by Nora asking "Daddy, what's the Awk-ram?"

Snapping out of his thoughts Descole turned toward his daughter and answered "It's Azran, Nora, not Awk-ram and it's a civilization that lived here a long time ago.

Nora opened her mouth in awe at this new knowledge.  
The young man glanced over to his sister and saw she was still waiting for a reply. He wanted to tell her to stay away from the Azran at all cost but he feared that by saying that it would clue his sister in on his real identity just like it almost did back when Herminia was seventeen. He let out a quiet sigh of frustration, unsure how to solve his confliction problem.

Finally having come up with an answer Descole replied "As for your question, Layton. Do what you think is best."

Herminia frowned at this answer since is wasn't a straight one like she had hoped for. But she chose to accept it, feeling that pressing further on the issue wouldn't help and would probably make the professor angry. With a sigh she got out of her chair.

"Well thank you again for talking to me, Professor Sycamore. I hope you continue with your successful work." she said.

Descole nodded his head in reply before watching his sister leave the room with her son.

"You seemed like close friends with that lady, daddy." Nora commented with a grin as she clung onto her father's arm.

"Friend isn't even close to what I am to her." Descole muttered under his breath before leaving the room with his daughter as well.


	21. Coming Together

Chapter 21

Clarence let out a tired sigh as he was flipping through the pages of his science book. His brown eyes glanced up from his book to see Denise sitting in the floor with a now one year-old Alfendi. His son was dressed in a red shirt with blue shorts and brown shoes, his hair had even grown longer and was partly shaggy. He smiled as he watched Denise help Alfendi stack some building blocks. He was glad to see his friend so happy and refreshed unlike the state she was in before he became her lab assistant. Ever since he started working with her Clarence was able to help take some of the work load off of the young woman.

"I still thank you again for watching Alfendi while I finish my assignments, Denise. That last minute conference for archeology students had caught Herminia off guard." the red-headed man said with a grateful smile.

"It's no problem, Clarence. I understand your wife had to attend and you needed someone to watch your son. Besides he's kind of a little cutie." Denise replied as she ruffled Alfendi's hair a bit.

The young toddler whined a bit out of annoyance as his hair turned red.  
Clarence couldn't help but smile before glancing down at the gold ring placed on his finger. A few months after Alfendi's birth, Clarence finally married Herminia. While traditionally his wife was suppose to take his last name as her own, he convinced her to keep her maiden name. He agreed with everyone that the title "Professor Layton" was the only title that had a lovely ring to it and he didn't want to take that away from the young woman.

Deciding to strike up a discussion with his friend Clarence asked "So, Denise, is there any other future projects you and Bill Hawks are working on that needs my assistance?"

Denise remained silent in thought for a moment before replying "Well there's one project I'm discussing with Bill that I'm interested in. But nothing is in the works quite yet. I'll tell you if something comes up."

Clarence nodded his head before finishing up his assignments. It wasn't long till Herminia finally entered the apartment.  
Alfendi whined and called out for his mother as he crawled over to her. His hair changed to purple as soon as the brown-headed woman picked him up from the floor and lovingly nuzzled her head against his.

"Thanks for watching Alfendi while I was gone." Herminia said.

"It's fine, he was very well behaved. Well I have to go now. Bye Clarence... and Layton." Denise replied only taking a pause when she hesitated whether to say goodbye to her friend's wife or not.

Without another word she left the room, not wanting to cause any more awkwardness.  
Herminia raised a brow in confusion when she thought about how Denise always acted around her. She never knew why the scientist always addressed her by her last name and never talked to her much. But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the phone ring. Herminia sat Alfendi back down on the floor before going over to the phone and answering it.

"Hello who is it?" she asked.

At that moment the voice on the phone exclaimed "Herminia, it's me Clark! You and Clarence need to come over to the hospital immediately!"

"Why did something happen?" Herminia replied, growing worried over what could have caused her friend to enter a panicked state and why he was requesting for her and her husband to meet him at the hospital.

"Yes something happened! Brenda went into labor this morning!" Clark replied.

Herminia's mouth dropped open when she heard this. She had forgotten that Clark did marry Brenda last year and they both agreed on having a child. Without a word she quickly told the dirty-blond-haired man goodbye before hanging up the phone. With haste she had Clarence pick up Alfendi before dashing out to her car. She had bought a small red one after the whole baby incident to avoid being stuck in a emergency without a car ever again. Once everyone was in the car she quickly sped off toward the hospital.

When they reached their destination Clarence had his teeth clenched together and his fingers clinging on the car seat. Just like everyone else he was terrified of his wife's driving. He never understood why the young woman drove like she was in a police pursuit.  
Herminia sighed and shook her head before getting out of the car and getting Alfendi out of the backseat, prompting her husband to get out of the car as well. Her heart was pounding out of nervousness as she entered the waiting room with her family. There she managed to spot Clark waiting for them.

"Clark, how's Brenda?" Herminia asked.

"She's fine and in fact she's already given birth. She's been asking to see you, Herminia." Clark replied.

"Me?" the brown-headed woman asked in confusion, "Why me?

"Well you because..." the dirty-blond-haired man started before taking in a deep breath and continuing, "We're considering you the godmother of our child. You've always been there for us so we want you to be apart of our child's life."

Herminia was stunned by this news, so stunned in fact that it left her speechless. She never expected to be made a godmother of her friend's child. Realizing that Clark was waiting for her before headed back she slowly handed Alfendi over to Clarence. She told her son to be good for his father before kissing him on his head and heading back with Clark. The brown-headed woman did her best to calm her rapidly beating heart as she walked down the hall, it was long till Clark lead Herminia to the room Brenda was in.

Brenda lifted her head up with a smile as she held a small baby bundled up in her arms.

"Herminia, you made it." she said.

"I came as soon as I got Clark's call. Alfendi and Clarence are in the waiting room." Herminia replied.

The brown-headed woman's brown eyes focused down on the baby in the young woman's arms. Before she could even react she found herself walking over to the bedside. She nearly stopped breathing as she watched Brenda placed the baby in her arms. She could now see the baby had dirty-blond-hair like his father and brown eyes.

"His name is Luke Triton." Clark said as he placed his hand on Herminia's shoulder.

Luke blinked his brown eyes as he stared up at the woman that held him in her arms. Much to his parents surprised he did not cry instead he just stared at her.  
Herminia didn't know why but she felt a connection with the infant in her arms, a strong bond. Silently she smiled at Luke as she let the infant cling onto one of her fingers with his tiny hand.

"Hi, Luke. I'm Herminia Layton." she said.

She kept holding Luke and a nurse came in the room, stating that there was a call for Clark Triton. Deciding to answer the phone Clark left the room for a moments. Herminia gently placed Luke in Brenda's arm when she saw the infant was beginning to sob a bit.

"Seems like it wasn't too long ago you were in this position." Brenda joked with a smile.

"Yeah, the time I nearly broke Clarence's hand." Herminia replied.

The two woman continued to laugh and chat among each other until finally Clark came back in the room.  
The dirty-blond-haired man was doing his best to smile but he couldn't hide the frown on his face. He glanced over at his friend to see her narrow her brown eyes in suspicion toward him; he knew that she had already figured out he was trying to hide something. With a sigh he told his wife and friend how he got a job. A excavation team offered him a spot as a head archeologist in a search for the mysterious Azran city the Golden Garden. But the bad news meant that he and his family would have to move to Misthallery.

"So in other words you're leaving." Herminia said with her arms crossed.

"Yes, everything has already been set up. Once Brenda has enough strength we'll be leaving London. In the mean time I'll be asking for my university withdrawal papers." Clark replied.

Brenda lowered her eyes in sadness as her arms slightly wrapped around Luke more. She was hoping that her son would get to see all of London and maybe even get to know Aldendi a bit. But with her husband's new job she would have to raise her child in another town.  
Herminia felt sorry that her friends were moving away too but she didn't raise any objections. She was happy her friend was getting to fulfil his dream as a archeologist and she knew being asked to be the leader of a excavation team was a huge honor.

She took in a deep breath before saying "It won't be the same without you, Clark, but I wish you the best of luck."

Clark smiled before grabbing ahold of Herminia's hand and shaking it.

"And I hope you succeed and become a professor. I'll be looking forward to reading about your feats Professor Layton." he replied.

"Clark, I'm not a professor yet." the brown-headed woman stated.

"True but you're already a professor in my eyes." Clark said.

Herminia was deeply touched by this statement before she pulled her friend into a hug. She would truly miss his presence but she hoped that one day she would get the chance to greet her friend face to face again someday.

Back at the Nest Emmett was busy packing up his things. Bronev had decided the young man needed to take his skills to the field and was now assigned to work undercover as a journalist for a newspaper company and that he was looking for a job as a assistant for a professor. He didn't like the idea of leaving the crime boss alone especially since his concerns for him was going stronger with each day.

 _"Uncle Leon is too obsessed with the Azran. I heard some agents mention he had some more archeologists murdered. I want to help him but not if it means to kill more innocent people. He might even get to the point that he might consider killing his own children."_ Emmett thought to himself.

Silently he squeezed his brown eyes shut as he slammed closed his suitcase. He couldn't stand the thought of that because that would lead to him fearing that Bronev might betray him one day. But he didn't want to believe that thought; he didn't want to believe the man who had saved him from dying on the streets would actually consider killing him. Without a word he changed out of his black clothes into a white shirt, a yellow sweater, green pants, and brown shoes and a belt. He grabbed ahold of his camera he slipped it inside the pouch attached to his belt.

The door to his room opened up to reveal a Targent agent with dark skin, white messy hair pulled into a pony tail, a scar on his cheek, and he wore a black coat, sunglasses, red pants, and black shoes.

"So have you gathered up your stuff, kid?" the agent asked.

"Yeah, Swift, everything is all set up." Emmett replied.

"Alright just to make sure let's go over what you're going to say to your employers while undercover." Swift said while cracking his knuckles.

The brown-headed man nodded his head before saying "My name is Emmett Altava. I'm a journalist sent here to be an assistant for your best professor. I have the papers right here for the procedures. I'm promise I won't let you down."

The targent agent nodded his head before replying "Perfect, you're all set, kid."

"You know, Swift, I happen to be twenty-three years old. That hardly qualifies as a kid." Emmett snarled in anger.

"Doesn't matter as long as I'm still Bronev's second in-command you're still a kid in my eyes." Swift replied with a smirk.

Emmett didn't bother holding back the snarls that escaped his mouth as he grabbed his suitcase and stormed out of the room. He didn't like how Swift always looked down on him all because he was of lower status. He carried his suitcase all the way to Bronev's office to see the crime boss looking over some documents about an excavation team that was going to search for the Golden Garden in Misthallery. It pained Emmett to see the man he considered a father more concerned about a ancient civilization than him.

Deciding to clear the silence the brown-headed man spoke up "Uncle Leon, everything is set."

Bronev lifted up his head and focused his vision on the young man.

"Perfect." he said, "I even have a professor selected for you that I want you to do investigation on. He was turned down many offers to study the Azran but I can tell he has knowledge on the ancient civilization."

"Who would that be?" Emmett asked, wanting to know his target's name.

Bronev grasped ahold of his sunglasses and lowered them a bit, revealing his piercing brown eyes.

Finally he answered "Professor Desmond Sycamore."

Later that day back with Denise she was carrying her bag as she was headed to the lab. She still didn't like working with Bill Hawks but she was glad Clarence was there to help her through it all. With him by her side she felt the pain she use to go through was lightened and that for once in her life she was happy. Once she got to the lab she pulled out her respective keys to the lab and opened up the door. The grayish-brown-headed woman flinched when she saw Bill Hawks was already waiting in the lab for her and was giving her an angry glare.

"You're late." Bill grumbled.

"I'm sorry but I do still have classes to attend you." Denise replied in a snarky tone.

But she quickly regretted it when Bill instantly stormed over to her and slapped her across the face causing her to stumble a bit.

"Don't take that tone with me. Remember if it weren't for me you wouldn't even have this job!" he yelled.

Denise quietly hissed through her teeth, doing her best to resist the urge to form her hand in a fist and punching the man she was forced to call partner. She couldn't risk losing her job because she feared that Clarence would end up losing his job as well and she knew he needed the money to help raise his son. She loudly exhaled through her nose before lifting up her head and nodding it in understanding.

"Now why did you exactly call me over?" she asked as she rubbed her now sore cheek.

Bill smiled darkly when he saw the young woman now complying with his commands. He always resorted to violence to make sure she followed his orders because he knew she wouldn't dare tell anyone else about her abusive employer to insure she keeps her job. Without a word he turned his back toward her with his hands clasped together behind his back.

"Tell me, Denise. Do you remember the possible experiment we were discussing?" he said.

"You mean the time machine project?" Denise asked.

"The very same one." Bill replied, "I had just received a call from a very generous donor. He will provide us the money needed for the experiment in exchange if we use an old Azran artifact as a power source. I believe it's a part from something that looks like a robot but not the kind of robots we see now, it 's a much more advanced robot."

Denise bit her lip as she remained silent. A wave of dread washed over her at the thought of testing an Azran artifact as a power source for the time machine. She feared using something that no one had ever tested, meaning that anything could go wrong. She was about to object to the idea until she felt her cheek stinging pain from where she was slapped only moments ago. The young woman knew if she refused to the idea she would indeed lose her job. It pained both her heart and her pride but she had no choice but to say yes.

She took in a deep sigh before replying "I understand, Bill. I'll start gathering the materials to build the prototype time machine tomorrow. I will dedicate all the time I can to this experiment."

Bill smiled darkly before replying "I'm glad to hear you say that, Denise. To the future of the time machine!"

A few days later Herminia remained silent as she watched Clark pack his family's belongings into his car. Brenda had finally gained enough strength for her to move to Misthallery with her husband and son. Herminia was having to hold Luke since Brenda was helping Clark placed the suitcases in the car. The brown-headed woman glanced down at the baby in her arms.

"I have a feeling I'm going to miss you the most. Too bad you only got to know me for a few days." she said as she brushed some of Luke's hair out of his eyes.

Luke silently blinked his eyes before reaching out his arms and clung onto Hermina's hand. He gurgled and giggled as he continued to cling onto the young woman's hand.  
Herminia couldn't help but smile at the sight as she continued to let the baby play with her hand. One thing she was very surprised about Luke was that the few days she spent with the baby he managed to reveal old and forgotten feelings she hadn't felt ever since Randall's death. She didn't know why but she felt like had Luke stayed in London and grown older that he would have been the very first person she considered a best friend ever since Randall's death.

She was awakened from her thoughts when she heard Clark say "Well that's the last of it."

Herminia nodded before handing Luke back over to Brenda, earning of few sobs of disappoint from the baby. She put a brave smile on her face as she watched Brenda get in the car with the sobbing baby. She didn't know why but the scenario felt familiar to her. She didn't have much longer to think about it when she saw Clark walk up to her.

"Well I guess this is where we part ways." he said with a sigh.

Herminia nodded her head in agreement before pulling her friend into a hug.

"Farewell, old friend." Clark whispered.

"Same to you." the brown-headed woman whispered back.

Without a word the two adults pulled apart before Clark got in the car.  
As they drove away Herminia frowned as she placed her hand against her chest. She was deeply saddened the her friends were now gone from her life, leaving her with only Clarence and Alfendi left in her life. Her only hope was that maybe one day she would meet her friends again one day, after all she would like to see if Luke winds up being quite the gentlemen.


	22. Murder

Chapter 22

Herminia let out an exhausted sigh on the couch as she slapped closed a book she finished reading. It had been two years since Clark left and now she was twenty-seven years-old. She had finally finished her university courses and was now eligible to apply for a professor job at Gressenhellar University. The brown-headed woman groaned as she stretched her back a bit due to it growing sore from her reading for hours to make sure all of her knowledge was top notch since she needed it for her job. Her brown eyes glanced over the clock on the wall and she gasped at what time it was.

"I forgot to pick up Alfendi!" she exclaimed before dashing out of her apartment and heading for the car.

Due to how busy her and Clarence starting getting, Herminia began leaving her son at her parents' house. Her teeth clenched together nervously when she arrived at the house, noticing her upset three year-old son sitting on the door steps with his golden eyes narrowed in anger. The young boy now had longer and shaggy hair with some of it sticking up in the air while he wore a red and blue striped sweater, black shorts, and red shoes.  
Alfendi tapped his foot impatiently as he glared at his mother; he knew that his mother knew how angry he was based on how bright his crimson hair was.

"You forgot about me again." he said as Herminia walked up to him.

"I'm sorry, Alfendi. Things just got busy and I lost track of time." the brown-headed woman apologized with a frown.

"You always say that, mum! Sometimes I wonder if you and papa care more about your jobs than me." Alfendi said before turning his head away.

Herminia lowered her head while guilt filled her heart. It was true that because of her and Clarence's dedication to their jobs that had been unintentionally neglectful to their son. Without a word she pulled her son into a hug while resting her head on top of his. She wanted to do something to make up to her child for not paying enough attention to him. When she pulled out of the hug she saw Alfendi's hair changed back to purple, indicating he was calm now.  
Alfendi rubbed his arm while he glanced down at the ground, apologizing for his comment.

"It's alright, Alfendi. You brought an important issue to my attention. After it is very rude of a lady to neglect others." Herminia said.

Her son instantly perked up his head when he heard this. He was very surprised to hear that his mother actually agreed with him.

"So to make it up to you how about I take you on a trip to Scottland Yard?" she suggested as she grabbed her son's hand.

"Scottland Yard, why there?" Alfendi asked out of confusion.

Herminia didn't answer until the both of them had gotten in the car and she started driving down the road. She explained how ever since she solved a certain car wreck incident for the cops that from time to time Constable Grosky would ask her to come in at times to help out on cases. The young woman couldn't help but find it a little amusing that the police were turning toward her for help when usually they would turn toward a inspector or even sometimes a attorney doing investigations. It didn't take long for the two to finally reach Scottland Yard.

The moment they stepped out of the car they were greeted by Consatble Grosky.  
Alfendi out of fear hid behind his mother's leg; he hadn't expected a tall and large muscled man to run up to them at unimaginable speeds for a human being.

"Ah, Layton, glad to see you've came to see the jam this time." Grosky said.

"Of course, Constable Grosky, I'm always glad to help." Herminia said with a smile.

Groksy was about to explain the case until he noticed Alfendi. He raised a brow in suspicion at the young boy, prompting Alfendi to try to hide behind his mother more.  
Herminia instantly caught onto this and explained to the constable that she was showing her son Scottland Yard since she wanted to spend more time with him. Her brown eyes glanced over at Alfendi to see his hair was starting to turn red. Without a word she gently patted him on the should in a calming manner, prompting the shade of red to vanish from her son's hair.

"Oh well that explains thing, tell me boy what's you name." Grosky replied.

"Um... Alfendi Layton." the young boy said, taking a pause out of nervousness.

"Well, Alfendi, I am very happy your mother is showing you the Yard. For we at the Yard never give up and always manage to capture the culprits terrorizing the country!" the constable proclaimed in a proud tone.

Alfendi blinked his golden eyes silently, unsure how to respond to the man's enthusiasm. He glanced up at his mother to see her roll her eyes with a chuckle. He figured that she must have grown use to it over the years of knowing the constable.

"Well enough chit-chat! You're here for a reason." Grosky said in a stern tone.

Herminia nodded her head in agreement before heading inside the Scottland Yard headquarters with her son. She learned the case she was asked to look into actually was a mysterious murder. The murder had occurred at the library where the local librarian was murdered at nightfall after closing time. The only people that was around the area that time was a famous author who was signing books for his fans, a young school girl, and a pawn shop owner.

"We've found all the clues we can but we think it was the school girl." the constable explained.

"And why's that, Constable Grosky?" Herminia asked.

"When he searched her bag she had with her we discovered a book with blood on it that was checked out from the same library shortly before closing time. There is no other reason for her to have it other than that she is the murderer." he answered.

The brown-headed woman kept this fact in mind before she started looking over the clues. The knife that was used as the murder weapon had no fingerprints on it. The book the police found in the school girl's possession had blood on the front cover just like Grosky claimed. Finally there was a crumbled receipt for one of the author's books.  
Herminia closed her eyes in thought, trying to piece together the mystery of a puzzle that lay before her.  
But unknown to the young woman her son was examining the clues. Alfendi didn't understand why but he felt the need to try to solve the puzzle too. When he thought about it he knew it would make no sense for the school girl to keep such discriminating evidence if she was the murderer. That was when an idea popped in his mind. Without a word he began tugging on his mother's sleeve, causing her to snap out of her thoughts.

"Mum, ask them why the receipt was at the crime scene." he said.

Herminia was surprised at her son's command but went ahead and complied with it. They learned the receipt was there because the librarian had bought one of the author's books. At that moment Herminia's brown eyes widened when it dawned on her why her son told her to ask about it.

Deciding to continue on she asked "Constable Grosky, why was that school girl at the library at such a late hour?"

"Oh the girl claimed she forgot her bag and went back to get it." Grosky answered.

Herminia smirked when the last puzzle piece to the mystery fallen into place. Knowing what to do next she asked the constable to bring in the school girl and the pawn shop owner. It was only a few seconds before the two suspects were brought into the room. The two remained silent as they watched the young woman began to pace around the room with her hand on her chin.

"So Scottyard claims the murderer is the school girl because of the book in her bag. Well I'm here to tell you that the culprit is..." Herminia started before jabbing out her index finger and declaring, "You, the pawn shop owner!"

"Me?! You have no proof I did it!" the pawn shop owner exclaimed in shock.

"On the contrary I do. The knife use to murder the librarian was an old knife that originated from the eighteen-hundreds. Surely a young school girl wouldn't have anything like that but a pawn shop owner would." the brown-headed woman began to explain, "You were wanting to pawn off one of the author's book but you didn't want to pay to do so. In order to get ahold of a copy your murdered the librarian who had purchased one. In an attempt to pin the blame on someone else you took the book the school girl had checked out and rubbed it in the librarian's blood hence the odd streak marks on the cover before planting it back in the bag. You also attempted to dispose of the receipt so no one would connect the crime back to you since the receipt will most likely contain yours and the librarian's fingerprints.

The pawn shop owner sweated nervously before lowering his head in defeat. His crime had been exposed. Without a word he was lead away by the officers.

"I can't believe you did it again, Layton." Grosky grumbled, upset that once again he had the wrong suspect.

"Well believe it or not, but it was Alfendi here who figured it out before me." Herminia replied as she laid her hand on top of her son's head.

"You boy figured out who the murderer was?" the mustached-man exclaimed in shock.

"Well it was easy when I thought about the receipt." Alfendi admitted while rubbing his heel against the floor.

"That's quite amazing for someone your age. Dare I say you have the makings of a inspector!" Groksy explained.

Herminia closed her eyes as the feeling of familiarity washed over her. Groksy commending Alfendi for his efforts and commenting on what he might be in the future reminded her how Randall did her the same way when she solved that puzzle they found in the first ruins they discovered together. She couldn't prevent a small smile to form on her face as she thought about what it would be like to have a son for a inspector.

Meanwhile Descole remained silent as he finished turning down more offers to research the Azran. He was getting tired of the offers constantly popping up and wished the ancient civilization could remain buried in the past. He rubbed his head out of frustration as he sat as his desk, glad he only had one last person to speak to. His brown eyes glanced up when he heard the visitor enter his office only to be greeted by than other than Emmett.

"Exactly who are you?" Descole asked.

"I'm a journalist from a newspaper publisher. I've come here to apply as your assistant." Emmett answered.

Descole narrowed his brown eyes as he examined the young man standing before him. He didn't know why but he could have sworn he had seen the brown-headed man somewhere before but he couldn't place his finger on it. Deciding to focus on the matter at hand he found it suspicious someone was asking to be his assistant when he asked for no such thing.

Without any second thoughts Descole replied "I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place, I don't take any assistants."

"You're Professor Desmond Sycamore, right?" the young journalist asked.

"Yes, of course. Who else would I be?" the professor said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Then you're the right person. I even already got the paper requirements so I can be your assistant." Emmett stated with his arms crossed.

Descole's feeling of suspicion grew greater upon hearing the young man's response. He knew there was no reason for a journalist to want to be an assistant and mysteriously already have the paperwork laid out for the job. It was almost as if the journalist before him wasn't truly what he claimed to be.

Deciding to get some answers he asked " Exactly what is your name, boy?

"Oh my name is Emmett Altava." the journalist answered.

At that moment Descole's heart nearly froze in fear. The memory of the young targent agent he fought ten years ago came rushing back to him. Now he understood why the young man had a suspicious nature about him; he was a targent agent. In that instant he knew if targent had sent an agent after him that might have meant that the leader Bronev was already taking his usual precautions to insure he would do what he would say.

"Melody." Descole unconsciously whispered from his mouth.

Emmett's brown eyes widened when he heard that name.

"Wait did you say..." he started but before he could finish his sentence Descole slammed him against the wall and took off running.

The young journalist clenched his teeth with a snarl as his hand clutched his chest. He now knew where Melody was hiding all those years. Without a word he got onto his feet and took off running, hoping he could track down the woman's location and reveal it to Bronev.  
Descole ran back to his home as fast as he could, pleading he wasn't too late. But unfortunately the moment he stepped inside his home he was seized by a couple of Targent agents. With his teeth clenched he struggled to get out of their grip before her was forced down on his knees.

"Well two birds with one stone, how lovely." a voice smirked.

Descole snarled in anger; he knew exactly who that voice belonged to. His brown eyes glared in anger as he watched none other than Leon Bronev approach him.

"I came here just to get insurance that you would consider my offer and much to my surprise I discover the traitorous Melody happens to be your wife." Bronev said as he gestured out his hand toward Melody who was also seized by a couple of Targent agents.

"Let her go now!" Descole yelled in a threatening tone.

The crime boss let out a dark chuckle before grabbing his captive painfully by his chin, forcing him to give him direct eye contact.

"You have no power to make threats." he said before snapping his fingers, prompting some agents to reveal they had ahold of a now six year-old Nora as well, "I on the other hand do."

Descole's face turned pale out of fear as Bronev forced him to stare at his sobbing daughter.  
Nora whimpered as her blue eyes constantly darted around the room in fear; she didn't know who the strange people dressed in black were and she didn't know why they were threatening her family. All she wanted to do was to run over and embrace her father.

"Now I wasn't able to find that butler of Melody's but my offer still stands." Bronev said in a dark tone as he yanked Descole's head back to where it face him, "Join Targent and reveal your knowledge about the ancient civilization or suffer the consequences."

Descole squeezed his eyes shut as he let out a hateful snarl. He hated the man that stood before him that was threatening his very own family. But because he kept his eyes shut too long it cause Bronev to punch him, causing him to lose his glasses and to release a yell in pain.  
The crime boss was about to yell at his captive until he saw the young man lift up his head. Without the glasses on he was easily able to recognize the crimson like eyes that hatefully glared at him.

"Hershel?" Bronev whispered in disbelief.

"Don't call me by that name! My name isn't Hershel and you're certainly not my father!" Descole hissed in a hateful tone.

Melody gasped in shock when she heard this. She couldn't believe her husband's father was now standing before them and even addressed her husband by a different name. She wondered why Descole lied to her about his name but she quickly dismissed the thought when she figured that Descole simply lied because he didn't want to be connected to the crime boss and she didn't blame him.  
Bronev narrowed his brown eyes as he glared at his son. He couldn't believe one of his children was hidden with in sight all along. With his teeth clenched he let go of Descole's chin.

"The situation seems to have changed. You're coming with us whether by will or not." the crime boss said.

Without a word he gestured his hand to signal for the two targent agents that had ahold of Descole to take him away.  
Nora gasped as she watched her father begin to struggle with the agents. She didn't want to lose her father. Without even thinking she managed to struggle out of the grip of the targent agents who had ahold of her. She called out for her father as she ran toward him.  
Melody was worried about this scene but she was even more worried when she saw Bronev start pulling a gun out of his jacket. Panic flooded her heart as she kicked the agents that had ahold of her, freeing herself from their grip.

"Nora!" Melody screamed as she made a mad dash toward her daughter.

Descole's brown eyes widen when he heard this. Using all his strength he managed to spin his body around to get out of the agents' grip. But by then it was too late for Bronev had already fired his gun.  
Melody was able to push her daughter out of the way but unfortunately for her fate wasn't kind. She let out a loud gasp as she felt the bullet pierce through her body. Her world began growing dark as she collapsed on the floor with blood pouring from her chest.

"Melody!" Descole cried out as he ran over to his wife and supported her by her back.

But when he did his heart nearly shattered at what he saw. His wife's chest was covered in blood and her blue eyes were closed forever. Tears streamed down his face as he let out an anguished cry both of anger and sadness. He hugged Melody's lifeless body close to him as he didn't bother to hold back the sobs that escaped his mouth.  
Emmett managed to arrive on the scene and was shocked when he saw Descole crying over his wife's dead body and Bronev was holding a gun in his hand. He ran his hand through his brown hair out of disbelief. He had expected Bronev to be back at the Nest, not already at the target's home.  
Bronev remained silent as his brown eyes glanced over at the shocked Emmett.

"Ah, Emmett, perfect timing." Bronev said with a grin, "Sycamore here doesn't seem to fully understand what I'm capable of. So to make sure he does kill his daughter."

Descole's blood nearly ran cold upon hearing this. Without warning he tried to lunge at Bronev out of rage only to be held back by a couple of targent agents that manged to seize him.  
Emmett nearly stopped breathing as his father figure tossed him the gun he was holding. He couldn't believe he was asked to take the life of a six year-old girl. His brown eyes focused on the whimpering young girl as she was dragged toward him by a couple of agents. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he glanced over at Descole who was staring knives at him.

"Uncle Leon, is it alright if I do it outside?" Emmett asked.

"If that's what it takes then yes." Bronev replied.

The young journalist took in a deep sigh as he grabbed the little girl by the wrist and dragged her outside, trying to block out the sounds of Descole's screams and protests. His heart filled with guilt as he listened to the girl's sobs. He didn't want to kill her but he didn't want to disobey Bronev either.

"That man shot mommy." Nora whispered as she squeezed her blue eyes shut.

Upon hearing that Emmett felt like his heart nearly shattered. He took in a deep breath before setting his finger on the gun's trigger and aiming it. He clenched his teeth and with a bit of hesitation he pulled the trigger.  
Nora gasped as her eyes snapped wide open. She saw the young journalist had fired at the sky instead of her.

Before she could asked why the young man did what he did Emmett whispered "Listen you're going to have to run away. If that man who killed your mommy sees you he'll kill you too. You need to run away and never let him know you're alive."

"What about daddy?" the little girl asked while wiping away her tears.

"You can see him the day the man is gone. Now go!" Emmett quickly replied.

Deciding to take the young man's advice Nora started running. She didn't dare look back as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. All she knew was she needed to hide away and the day when Bronev was gone was the day she could finally be reunited with her father.  
Emmett let out a sigh of relief as he watched the girl disappear in the distance. Without another word he walked back inside the house to see Descole with his head hung low.

"It's done." Emmett said in a stern tone as he handed the gun back to Bronev.

"She was just a little girl." Descole snarled as he lifted up his head, "A little girl, Bronev, and you had your lackey there kill her!"

Bronev narrowed his eyes before walking over to his son. He wanted him to understand the meaning of losing something so he could see why he was searching for the Azran in the first place. Because of the death of his wife Rachel he only wanted to do nothing but discover the Azran Legacy for her.

"Your tone will change soon. Especially after I get ahold of your sister Thelina." the crime boss said in a stern tone.

Descole unleashed a yell of anger as he struggled against the agents that held him back. He didn't care that the man before him was his biological father; he wanted to do nothing more than to kill him for taking away his family. He also didn't want him to bring the same tragedy to Herminia. But before anyone could react a large smoke bomb went off. Everyone coughed and wheezed as their eyes was blinded by the smoke. Descole tried to see what was happening till he felt someone grab him by the arm and start dragging him. With no other choice he let the mystery person guide him out of the smoke.

Once he was out of the smoke he saw the one who had ahold of his arm was Raymond.

"Master, we can escape on the horses!" the butler exclaimed as he ran toward two horses.

Descole nodded before climbing onto the horse named John while Raymond climbed on the other horse he owned. With haste the two made their horses take off, trying to distance themselves from their former home as far as they could. With his wife's and daughter's death, Descole's need for revenge was renewed. He looked over at the bag that was strapped to his horse's saddle to see his cape, hat, and mask. Silently he slipped on all three items with hatred burning in his heart. Desmond Sycamore was no more and only Jean Descole remained. He would unlock the Azran Legacy and then finally get his revenge on Targent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write, it was saddening to kill off a character. So to any of the Melody fans, I'm sorry and I feel your pain.


	23. Explosion

Chapter 23

Denise had her arms firmly folded over her chest as she stared at the time machine prototype. Her, Bill, and Clarence had been working on the project for years and they were finally starting to approach the time to test it. She let out a deep sigh as she started activating the proper knobs and levers just like Bill told her, prompting the large golden tank to start whirring with life. The machine rumbled as the inside of it of it emitted a bright cyan glow. Everything was going well until the machine rumbled louder and smoke was bursting from its seams.

"It's overloading! Shut it down!" Bill yelled in shock.

Denise's blue eyes widened in horror as she watched the machine rumble and shake. The young woman already knew the Azran artifact was too powerful for the machine. Without a word she dashed over to the control panel and began shutting off the machine. But as she pulled the last lever and successfully managed to shut the time machine down, the control panel exploded in her face. Denise cried out as the explosion slammed her body against the wall and she could feel blood trailing down the left side of her face. She lifted her hand to touch her face and nearly screamed out in pain when her fingers came in contact with burnt skin.

Bill gazed upon the destroyed control panel with a growl of frustration. He was running out of time to get the time machine working because his donator was starting to get impatient and threatened a few days ago he would take the money back if the scientist didn't have a finished project to present. He sneered as he adjusted his glasses before turning toward an injured Denise.

"We'll have to make some adjustments so the machine can withstand the Azran artefact. Then in a few weeks we'll see how the machine will handle a human experiment." he said in a stern tone.

"So I'm guessing I'll be the test subject?" Denise snarled as she managed to force herself on her hand and knees.

"Oh no, you're too important to use. The lab assistant will be the test subject." Bill replied.

At that moment, the grayish-brown-headed woman's blood nearly ran cold from those words. She couldn't believe her partner was wanting to use Clarence as the test subject. The thought of the young man getting in the time machine and something happen much worse than what happened to her face terrified her deeply. With her teeth clenched together and her uninjured blue eye narrowed in anger, she decided it was time for her to stand up to the man that had caused her pain for so many years.

"No." Denise said in a dark tone as she stood back up.

Bill was shocked by this response from his partner before a angry scowl formed on his face.

"Care to repeat that, Denise?" he asked with a snarl.

The young woman remained firm as she took every step toward the man with intimidation as she spoke "No! I'm tired of being your puppet! I have stood by and let you drag me through your money schemes for years but here's where I draw the line! That time machine is too dangerous and I refuse to let you use it, especially on a man I love with all my heart! After seeing what that machine has done to my face, I refuse to work on it any longer!"

She glared at the man before her with both anger and determination. Denise was surprised that by standing up to Bill for the first time in her life she felt as if a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders. She didn't care if the scientist threatened her or even told her how she would never get a prominent job as a scientist with anyone else, all she knew that she was through following his orders. Finally without uttering another single word the young woman left the room.

Bill snarled in anger when he watched his former partner leave. He couldn't believe that the explosion was finally the breaking point for the young woman and that his years of using her as his tool had come to an end. Overcome with rage the scientist yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. He could already picture the money slipping from his grasp and knew he needed to act soon to save his deal. That was when he remembered Clarence and how he wasn't present to see what happened to the time machine. A dark smirk formed on Bill's face before he began gathering up tools to repair the time machine's control panel, all hope wasn't lost for him.

Later that day Clarence was waiting patiently in a restaurant for his wife. Herminia had asked him to meet her there so she could tell him some news she had. The red-headed man sighed as he casually tapped his fork against his glass cup filled with water. He couldn't help but wonder what news his wife couldn't wait to tell him. He knew it certainly wasn't another pregnancy announcement since he had made sure to be careful with her and they knew raising one child was already busy enough with their schedules. His thoughts were finally put to rest when he saw the young woman dash into the restaurant wearing her brown trench coat and holding a envelope in her hands.

Herminia laughed in joy as she sat placed her trench coat on the coat rack and sat down at the table.

"My aren't you joyful today." Clarence noted with a small smile.

"Well that's because of this!" the brown headed woman replied.

Clarence watched as his wife held out the envelope in her hand toward him. Curious of what it was he grabbed the envelope and began to open it up. What was inside deeply shocked him, it was a certificate for a teacher's job at Gressenhellar University. The young man was speechless as he stared at his grinning wife.

"You're now looking at Professor Layton, the youngest professor at Gressenhellar Univeristy." Herminia proclaimed with her arms outstretched.

The young woman could barely contain her happiness. She was overjoyed when she had received the certificate that solidified her new status. After ten years of making her promise to her dead friend Randall; she was finally a archeologist that could share with people her knowledge as a professor. Her brown eyes glanced over to see her husband get out of his chair and run over to hug her. She closed her eyes in content as she hugged him back, feeling like nothing could bring her down.

When Clarence pulled out of the hug he placed his hand on his chin and said "You know what this calls for, a new hat!"

Herminia raised her brow in confusion before replying "Clarence what does a hat have to do with anything?"

Upon hearing this the red-headed man laughed as he shook his head. He wanted to buy his wife a new hat because he felt her current hat wasn't really something that proclaimed her status as a professor. He wanted something that not only proudly and boldly proclaimed it but also one that still shined a light on her ladyship qualities. After all he knew how much Herminia valued being a proper lady. That was when the perfect hat for the job came into his mind. Once they finished eating at the restaurant and paid for their food, Clarence took his wife to the hat store.

"Wait here!" he said before dashing off.

Herminia slightly frowned as she crossed her arms. She didn't see why she needed a new hat when she considered her red hat perfectly fine. She remained silent until she felt her current hat get removed and something heavier get placed on her head. She blinked her brown eyes in confusion as she felt someone grab her by the shoulders and spun her toward a mirror. Once facing the mirror the brown-headed woman gasped at what she saw. Now adorned on the top of her head was a brown top hat with a red ribbon around it. She was speechless as she reached one of her hands up and firmly grasped the brim.

"So what do you think?" Clarence asked as he walked up next to his wife, revealing he was the one that placed the top hat on her head.

"Clarence, it's lovely, but isn't a top hat more of a clothing item for gentlemen?" Herminia replied as she turned to face her husband.

"Nonsense it is perfectly fine for a lady to wear a top hat as well, it's not just for gentlemen." the red-headed man answered.

The young woman couldn't help but glance her brown eyes toward her reflection and stare at the top hat. The more she looked at it the more she loved her gift from her husband. She was about to reach up to take off her hat until Clarence stopped her and told her that neither a lady or a gentleman should remove their hat unless absolutely necessary. Herminia had no words to speak as she turned toward the young man, happy tears her forming in her eyes. Finally without a word she leaned toward her husband and kissed him on the lips while her other hand held onto the brim of her top hat to prevent it from falling off.

The next morning Clarence sat up in his bed while running his hand with his hair with a tired yawn. He could feel the cool morning air graze across his bare skin. He knew it was time to go to his job. Silently he glanced over to see Herminia to only see her head and her bare shoulders sticking out from underneath the blankets. The young man smiled as he ran his fingers through his wife's hair, prompting her to stir.

"Clarence?" Herminia groaned.

"It's alright, Herminia. I just woke you up to tell you that I was going to head to work today." he replied.

"Do you have to go now, can't you stay a little longer?" the brown-headed woman asked with a groan.

Clarence shook his head before kissing his wife around her cheek and neck. He could feel the young woman trace her fingers along his chin and prompting him to kiss her on the lips. As he kissed her he didn't know why but he felt like making sure every last minute of his kiss counted, like it was the last kiss he was ever going to share with his young wife. After a few moments the two pulled apart when they could feel the need to breath starting to arise.

"I'll be done this afternoon. You can come and pick me up then." Clarence said with a smile.

"Alright, I love you." Herminia replied as she placed her hand on her husband's cheek.

The red-headed man sighed in content as he placed his hand over his wife's and returning the statement as well before sharing one last kiss with her. Without a word he got out of bed and got dressed in his clothes. As he headed to the door her was very surprised when he heard sobbing coming from his son's bedroom. Curious of what made his son so distressed he entered the bedroom to see Alfendi sitting up on his bed sobbing with his bright crimson hair hiding away his eyes. He frowned as he sat down on the young boy's bed and placed his hand on his son's back.

"Alfendi, what's wrong?" Clarence asked out of concern.

Alfendi sobbed as he tightly hugged his father, his fingers tightly clenching on Clarence's white lab coat.

"Papa, I had a nightmare where you were taken away by monsters and this girl with glowing eyes telling me all this was going to happen!" the young boy sobbed.

Clarence frowned as he stroked his son's back and gently shushed him to help him calm down. He was surprised to hear his son had such a nightmare since he recalled times in the past where Herminia would wake up in the night with similar nightmares. He couldn't wrap his mind around why Alfendi would get such a nightmare instead of Herminia but he thought nothing of it. He figured his son was just scared of losing him hence the monsters taking him away in the nightmare but he couldn't figure out the part of the dream where Alfendi claimed he saw a girl with glowing eyes telling him that it was suppose to happen.

"Alfendi..." Clarence started, prompting his young son to look up at him, "It was only a nightmare and I insure you nothing will happen to me."

Alfendi sniffed as he wiped some tears away from his eyes. He cared for his parents deeply and felt he would be heartbroken if anything happened to either of his parents. He wanted to believe his father's words but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread lurking at the back of his mind.  
Clarence smiled as he hugged his son tightly, watching as Alfendi's hair begin to change back to purple.

"Now, Alfendi, you'll see. I'll be back this afternoon with your mom and perhaps we'll all go visit Misthallery." the red-headed man said.

Alfendi lifted his head up as his father brushed his bangs out of his eyes, revealing his golden eyes. With a smile he snuggled his head against his father's chest, deciding to have faith that his father would come home perfectly fine. The two remained in the embrace for a few moments before Alfendi yawned out of drowsiness.  
Clarence chuckled before kissing his son on the forehead and laying him back down on the bed.

"I'll see you later, Alfendi." he whispered.

"Bye, papa." Alfendi whispered back before falling asleep.

Clarence took in a deep sigh before getting off of the bed and leaving the bedroom. He didn't know why but the thought of him getting taken by monsters in Alfendi's dream worried him but he ignored it and left his home.

Later that day Denise sighed as she walked toward Clarence's home. She was going to give him the news how she quit her job and that he shouldn't work for Bill Hawks anymore. She tired to make her bangs hide away as much of the left side of her face as possible which was bandaged from her injuries. The young woman bit her lip as she knocked on the door, struggling to come up with the words to say. But when the door opened up she was revealed to see Alfendi holding the door opened.

"Alfendi, can you get your father? I want to talk to him." Denise asked.

Alfendi shook his head before answering "Papa, left to go to work. Mum is already on her way to pick him up. Mum said papa wanted to get their early to help you with the project."

At that moment the young woman's face turned pale in horror. Clarence didn't know about the explosion meaning that Bill could trick him into helping him to test it. Wanting to waste no time she took off running without an explanation. Her heart frantically pounded in her chest as she ran as fast as she could. All that mattered to her was stopping the experiment. But much to her horror as she approached the building where Bill's office was, a large fiery explosion burst from the building, consuming some buildings next to it. Denise mouth hung open in horror for a few moments before she cried at Clarence's name.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran into the smoking building, hoping the young man was alive. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, coughing when she felt the smoke rush into her lungs. Once she made it the scene she saw terrified her. The office and time machine was destroyed and she saw holes in the wall that revealed multiple dead people lying on the floor who had also been caught in the explosion. But what horrified her the most was the motionless body of a certain young man lying in the floor with burnt clothes.

"Clarence!" Denise cried out as she ran over to the young man.

She cradled his body close to her, hoping he was still alive. But much to her sadness Clarence's eyes were closed and his chest wasn't moving. She was confused when she saw instead of wearing his lab attire Clarence was dressed in a white shirt, a blue jacket, a pink tie, brown pants, and blue shoes. Denise cried as she shook the young man's body, hoping to get a response from him. Sadly no matter what she did the red-headed man did not move or respond. The grayish-brown-headed woman squeezed her eyes shut as she placed her forehead against his.

Just then she heard a groan. Her blue eyes snapped open, hoping to was Clarence but unfortunately it wasn't. Instead it was an injured Bill Hawks who managed to survive the explosion. Rage filled Denise's heart when she saw the man she despised was alive. Very carefully she laid Clarence's body on the ground and clenched her hands into fists.

"I see you survived the explosion. Apparently fate was kind to you." she said in a dark tone.

Bill did not reply due to his injuries and because of this he wasn't able to respond to what happened next. Without warning Denise spun around and clamped her hands around his neck and began strangling him.

"You killed him! You killed the man I loved. You took everything from me all because of your bloody greed! Well fate won't show mercy on you this time because I will kill you for this!" Denise screamed with her blue eyes burning in anger.

Bill choked and gasped as he struggled to get out of the grip of the woman who was strangling him but due to his injuries he didn't have the strength to do so. His eyes began to droop close as he felt Denise's hand tightened around his throat. Just then much to his shock he felt the grip release. He gasped for air as he watched the grayish-brown headed woman collapse on the ground unconscious. His brown eyes looked up to see none other than two targent agents and one of them was holding a broken board which was used to knock Denise out.

"Looks like we came here just in time." the targent agent said as he dropped the board.

The other targent agent walked over to Clarence and began examining his body.

"So do you have my money?" Bill rasped, finally having regain his ability to speak.

The agent nodded before handing over the cash to the scientist. He knew Bronev only paid the scientist to test the Azran artifact as a power source, not to create a working time machine. After seeing the results of the explosion they knew the experiment was a success because the only reason their boss wanted it tested to see how deadly Azran artifacts were and to adapt them into weapons to give them more assurance of keeping the cops away.

The room was silent until the second agent called out "Hey this guy is still alive!"

Bill's eyes widened in shock when he saw sure enough the red-headed man's chest was slowly rising and falling with his breathing. In that instant fear began to run through his mind; he feared that with Clarence alive the young man would reveal exactly what happened and his social status would be ruined. He didn't want to risk losing his fortunes and knew he needed to have the young man to disappear.

With his mind set he commanded "Get rid of him! Take him back to your boss, Bronev. I'm sure Bronev will be pleased to have another scientist."

"Hey we only take scientists that have knowledge on the Azran!" the agent replied back.

"But he does." the scientist stated, "His wife is a archeologist so he has to know about the ancient civilization since he lived with her. And with his brilliant mind he can help you adapt the power source into a weapon. All I ask is you make sure he doesn't come back. Everyone thinks he's dead and I would like it to stay that way."

The two agents remained silent as they thought about the offer. They did know it would be useful to take the red-headed man especially with his knowledge on the Azran. Without a word they nodded their heads in agreement. One of the agents walked over to Clarence's unconscious body and threw him on his shoulder. After they were all set the two targent agents left the destroyed office, carrying Clarence with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah man it pained me to do this chapter, poor Denise, I made her go through nothing but crap and this is what she got in the end. But this was necessary to make her bitter enough to want revenge in the sequel.


	24. Files

Chapter 24

Tears streamed down Herminia's face as she sat alone in her office at the university. She couldn't shake the looming depression that dwelled in her mind from the discovery of her husband's death. Yesterday just like she had promised she went to pick up her husband in the afternoon and was horrified when she saw the smoking building that was swarming with firemen and police officers. She even remembered how a young boy tried to run into the building for his parents but she had fortunately stopped him from making any hasty decisions and even had to give him a slap across the face to knock some logic in him.

The brown-headed woman let out a shaky sigh as she reached up and grabbed ahold of the brim of her top hat, the last gift from her husband. She squeezed her eyes shut when the haunting words from her nightmare echoed with in her thoughts. Tragedy fell upon her at the age of seventeen from the loss of her best friend and now it has happened to her once again ten years later with her husband.

"The Azran only bring tragedy in its wake." Herminia whispered to herself as her hand clenched tightly.

Her body shuddered as she tried to banish those thoughts from her mind. While she would miss Clarence deeply she knew the best thing to do was what he taught her after Randall's death and that was to move on with life. In attempt to get her mind off of her depression she picked the morning newspaper off of her desk to read. But much to her disappointment the paper's article was about the explosion as well. Herminia was about to put the papers down until she noticed something in the article, there was no mention of the time machine or Bill Hawks. Her brown eyes widened as she continued reading, learning the papers claimed it was a gas explosion and it was accidently caused by Denise Allen.

Herminia knew instantly that was a lie because she recalled when the firemen carried an unconscious Denise out of the building she had no burnt clothes like everyone else. While it was true she was injured but she knew it couldn't be from the explosion since the injury only covered part of the woman's face.

"They're censoring the events around Clarence's death. But why?" Herminia muttered to herself.

Her brown eyes narrowed in suspicion before she slapped the newspaper down on her desk and pulled on her brown trench coat. She left the office with determination of getting to the bottom of the mystery and finding out the real reason for her husband's death. She only hoped that Alfendi wouldn't be angry that she would be a little late picking him up from his grandparents. It wasn't long till the young woman reached her destination which was Scottland Yard; she had went there because she had hoped that the police files would shed some light on the event.

When she pulled up she was greeted by the sight of Constable Grosky.

"Ah, Layton, surprised to see you here. Oh and I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your husband." the mustached man said.

"It's alright, but, Constable Grosky, I'm glad to have run into you. I need access to the police files centering around the event." Herminia replied.

"You want to go to the archive files? That's preposterous I can't let you go snooping around in important information!" Grosky exclaimed.

"I understand fully, Constable Grosky, but this is something I need to do." the young woman said before grabbing ahold of the brim of her top hat and tilting it over her eyes, "I need to know exactly what happened that day."

Grosky crossed his arms as he remained silent in thought. He could see the professor was indeed determined and wanted closure around her husband's death. Finally with a sigh he agreed to let her see the files mainly as repayment for all the cases she helped Scottland Yard solve in the past. Without another word he lead the young woman into the building and down the stairs to where the archives were held.  
Herminia nodded her head out of gratefulness before she started searching the files. Her finger rolled over different labels as he eyes searched for the correct name. It only took her a few moments to finally locate the files she was looking for.

Her heart pounded out of nervousness and fear as she pulled the files out of the shelf. She didn't know what information was inside but she knew she would have to read them at her home due to the fact she saw what time it was on the clock. She could clearly see it was getting late and that Alfendi was probably getting worried about her not showing up. She knew her son was very traumatized when he learned about Clarence's death and if anything were to happen to her it would lead to more disastrous results.

 _"I'm sure Grosky won't mind me borrowing these files. I'll read them tonight and return them first thing in the morning."_ she thought to herself.

With her mind set she held the files against her chest as she left Scottland Yard. Once outside she saw not only it was dark but it was also raining. Herminia quickly dashed over to her car and was fixing to open it until she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. She quickly spun around to see three thugs approaching her. Not sure what else to do Herminia quickly took off running as her arms tightened around the files pressed to her chest, prompting to thugs to chase in pursuit. Her feet created giant splashes with every step she took. She didn't know why the thugs were pursuing her but all she knew was that she wanted to lose them.

Herminia ran with all her might but unfortunately it wasn't enough. Out from a nearby ally emerged a fourth thug, blocking off her access. The brown-headed woman gasped as she immediately stopped in her tracks, finding herself surrounded by the thugs.

"Alright we want no trouble, just give us those files you have!" one of the thugs said.

Herminia clenched her teeth tightly upon hearing this. She figured the thugs had eavesdropped on her conversation with Grosky and that's how they knew she had the files. But why they wanted them was a reason she did not know.  
When she refused to hand over the files one of the thugs snarled before snapping his fingers, prompting the other thugs to attack.  
The brown-headed woman clenched her teeth as she managed to dodge ever punch and kick sent her direction, putting her fencing evading skills to good use. She jumped on the thug's back that tried to tackle her and jumped to the ground in an attempt to make a run for it.

But just then Herminia cried out in pain when she felt something sharp pierce her stomach. She tilted her head down to see one of the thugs had pulled out a knife and had stabbed it in her stomach.  
The thug smirked as he pulled out the knife, watching as the young woman's clothes began turning a dark red from the staining blood.  
Herminia felt her body start growing weak as on of the other thugs kicked her to the ground. She cried in pain when she could feel them punching, kicking, and cutting her entire body. Her eyes began to droop closed as she felt her senses begin to dull. The last thoughts on her mind was of Clarence before finally she fell unconscious from the pain and blood loss.

One of the thugs smirked as he pried the police files from the unconscious woman's arms. He opened up the file and flipped through the papers to make sure everything was still there. He grinned smugly before slapping the files closed, knowing that his boss Bill would be very pleased. Their orders were to get rid of any evidence connecting the crime to the scientist and to insure Denise takes the fall. Without another word the thugs walked away, leaving Herminia for dead.

Later that night all was quiet in the streets of London except for two men searching the destroyed office of Bill Hawks, They were none other than Descole and Raymond. Descole snarled in frustration as he tossed away some burnt boards in anger; he had went to the office when he heard from targent agents he spied on how Bronev had hired a scientist to test an Azran artifact as a power source. But much to his anger there was no sign of the artifact.

"Either the agents took it or miraculously it was destroyed in the explosion." Descole commented as he stood up.

"So you believe our lead has run cold, Master?" Raymond asked he dropped a brunt book to the ground.

The masked man sigh before nodding his head. He didn't know why he felt the artifact would still be there but deep down he felt the need to go to London. Without a word he left the destroyed office, making plans to set his path to Misthallery to see if he could locate the Golden Garden which he heard the excavation team failed to find. He closed his eyes for a few seconds the moment he stepped outside and felt the rain hit his body. After all he had gone through the rain was the most comforting thing he felt. But when he opened his eyes he noticed someone lying on the ground in the distance.

Curious of why someone would be laying on the ground at such a late hour and in a rain storm her slowly approached the person. As he got closer he saw it was woman but just then his heart nearly stopped when he saw the woman had brown hair.

 _"No it can't be!"_ he thought to himself.

Not wasting anytime he dashed over to the woman and kneeled on the ground. The moment he flipped the woman onto his back, his fears were confirmed. There before him was an unconscious and injured Herminia. He clenched his teeth in anger as he propped his sister up by her back, watching as her head limply dropped forward. His free hand clenched into a fist as he immediately pressed his head against her chest, hoping his fears were wrong. Much to Descole's relief he could still hear a heartbeat, meaning that Herminia was still alive.

Thoughts of anger ran through his mind, wondering who injured his little sister greatly and left her for dead. But none of those thoughts mattered to him at the moment; all he cared about was saving his sister. Without word he took his free arm and lifted up Herminia's legs, scooping up her entire body bridal style. He was about to walk away until he saw a top hat lying on the ground. Figuring it belonged it his sister he kneeled down to grab it with his hand, causing it to be pressed against the young woman's back.

Once he was all set he dashed back over where Raymond was waiting for him.  
The butler raised his brows in surprise when he saw the masked man carrying an unconscious and injured young woman.

"Master, who is this?" he asked, wanting to get answers.

"Long story but she's my sister." Descole quickly replied, "Now that isn't important! What I need is to get her tended to now or she'll die!"

Raymond remained silent as he nodded his head in understanding. While he was very shocked to learn the masked man had a sister he neglected to tell anyone about, he chose to ignore the issue. He respected his master's privacy and never pries in things he believed he was never meant to know.  
Not wanting to waste anymore time the two made their way over to Descole's carriage which was pulled by the horse John. The masked man got inside with his sister while Raymond sat one the outside and grabbed ahold of the reigns.

While sitting in the carriage Descole kept whispering over and over for his sister to be alright as he clung onto her body. He considered her the only thing of his family remaining, he didn't consider Bronev his father and he had lost his mother, his wife, and his daughter. He refused to lose his little sister as well. Much to his relief Raymond had stopped in an alleyway near the hospital. He took in a deep breath before climbing out of the carriage.

"Master, if you like I can take her in." Raymond said.

"No, Raymond, I have to do this." Descole replied as he removed his hat, mask, and cape.

He knew he was taking a huge risk by removing his disguise but he rather take that risk than to have the hospital staff question why a masked man was carrying an injured woman. Without a word he scooped Herminia's body into his arms and ran into the hospital's emergency room. The staff came rushing to him the moment he started shouting for help. The young man took in deep and calm breaths as he clung onto his sister's top hat which was still in his hands as he watched the staff place the young woman on a gurney and pushed her to the backroom.

Due to the fact Herminia had no kind of identification on her Descole was lead to the back as well so he could help the staff identify her.

"So you know all this information how?" the nurse asked as she wrote down the information on her clipboard.

"I'm a close friend of hers." Descole partially lied.

Much to his relief the nurse didn't pry anymore on the issue; he didn't know what he would do if the nurse had demanded for his name. With nothing else to do Descole sat down in a chair, deciding to stay until he knew for sure his sister was going to be alright. Many hours passed but to Descole they felt like days as his brown eyes constantly glanced at the passing by nurses and doctors, hoping on of them would give them an update on his sister's state. Finally his agonizing wait was put to an end when he saw a doctor approach him.

He immediately got out of his chair and asked "How is she?"

"Well she lost a lot of blood, had you came any later she could have died. But fortunately we managed to stabilize her. Right now she's in a bit of a coma from her blood loss. We don't know when she'll wake up but we have called her family." the doctor replied.

Descole nodded his head before heading to the room where his sister was being held. He wanted to see her one last time before he left since he couldn't waste much time staying at the hospital or he could accidentally reveal Herminia's location to Bronev. The brown-headed man inhaled sharply he was greeted the sight of his sister breathing slowly and calmly in the hospital bed with many bandages all over her body. He sat down next to the bed as he grabbed ahold of her hand and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.

"I remember that day we separated I wished for you to be happy." he whispered despite the fact Herminia couldn't hear him, "Looks like that wish is harder to achieve than I thought. I think you'll only be able to get true rest when the Azran are gone."

He remained silent as he slipped his hand out of his sister's. But before he could walk away he felt Herminia tightly cling onto his wrist. Descole nearly stopped breathing as he slowly turned around to see Herminia's eyes partly open. At first he feared she had heard his comment but quickly dismissed that fear when he saw the young woman was dazed and barely had a grasp on her surroundings.  
Herminia opened her mouth trying to speak but grunts and mumbles came out inside due to the fact she wasn't conscious enough to comprehend anything. All she knew was that she didn't want the person she had ahold of to leave even though her mind couldn't figure out who she was looking at.

Seeing she was struggling, Descole shushed her as he laid his hand on her head.

"Go back to sleep, Herminia." he whispered.

Herminia grunted as she let go of Descole's wrist and reached up to his face. With a little bit or struggle she managed to rest her hand against the brown-headed man's cheek. She tried hard to get her mind to focus but the best thing she could see clearly was the brown crimson like eyes that stared back at her. Finally a name came to her mind to who the mystery person could be.

"D...De...De...Des." she struggled to say but unfortunately she lost the last bit of her strength and slipped in unconsciousness once more.

Descole glanced down at the floor as he gently placed his sister's hand that had fallen limp on her chest. He knew she was trying to say his name despite being in a state of daze. It pained him to leave his sister while she was unconscious but he knew he would have to otherwise she might recognize him the next time she wakes up. Without a word he walked out of the room, constantly telling himself not to look back. He couldn't focus on his sister when he still need to unlock the secrets of the Azran Legacy.

Alfendi stared at the hospital floor emotionless as he sat next to his mother's bed. It had been a few days since she had been attacked and she still had not awoken. He felt like crying about losing his father and now the fact his mother lay in the hospital bed hurt him deeply, all because criminals made it happen. He squeezed his eyes shut in anger as he finally let out a choked sob; his hair turning crimson and his bangs hiding away his golden eyes. The young boy didn't understand why the criminals enjoyed taking the life of his father and almost his mother's.

In his mind the explosion that claimed his father's life wasn't an accident; he believed it was done on purpose. He believed Denise had a thrill of excitement run through her as she created the explosion that resulted in the death of many people. He pictured her grinning in excitement moments before the explosion happened and wondering how many people she could claimed with her experiment. Alfendi clenched his fists as his thoughts trailed to his mother. Unknown to him a dark and twisted grin formed on his face.

"I bet that criminal liked it." he started speaking out loud to himself, "I bet he like it when he stabbed that knife into mum. I bet he found it so pleasing to see the blood pour from her body. He bet he had to push down the urge to stab her multiple times."

The young boy chuckled darkly to himself as he kept picturing the scenarios of the criminals and their joyful mind process as they committed their crimes. Because the shock over Clarence's death and Herminia's coma was too much for him, Alfendi started to find himself slipping into an sickly obsession. An obsession with the criminal's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Herminia was trying to say, Descole or Desmond?


	25. Misthallery

Chapter 25

Seven years had passed since that fateful day. Herminia now dressed in an orange sweater, brown pants, her top hat, and green shoes grumbled as she listened to her now ten year-old son Alfendi complain how he didn't like being left at his grandparents constantly. Ever since the brown-headed woman now the age of thirty-four got her job as a professor of archeology she had dedicated much of her time to grading papers, writing lectures, and solving puzzles her students gave to her as presents. The professor loved all of the bright students she had the honor of teaching; she was especially fond of two former students of hers. One of them was Janice who was a bright young woman that went on to become a opera singer, the other was Carmine Accidenti who ended up becoming a detective.

Herminia was snapped back into reality when she heard Alfendi let out a frustrated yell on the other end of the line only to be scolded by his grandfather Roland about how he shouldn't take that kind of tone with his mother.

"Look, Alfendi, I promise to make it up to you. Remember I have to support us both with your father gone, meaning I have to work a lot more. Please, Alfendi, can't you behave for your grandparents?" she replied with a frown.

There was a moment of silence until finally she heard her son sigh and reply "I understand, mum. Sorry for being so hasty but it just seems like you never see me anymore. There's even times where you sleep at your office."

The professor bit her lip as her hand tightened around the phone a bit. She did have to admit herself that she may have gotten a bit too dedicated with her job. She knew Alfendi had been close to her ever since she woke up from her month long coma but she also felt they were distant as well due to the fact she had received calls from Alfendi's school teachers complaining about his tendency to ask too many questions concerning criminals. All she knew was that he had never been the same ever since those thugs attacked her. The brown-headed woman shared a few more words with her son before hanging up the phone with a sigh.

"Having mother troubles again?" a short woman with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a yellow blouse, a blue dress, a white bandana, and brown shoes asked as she picked up some scattered books on the floor.

"Yeah pretty much, Rosa." Herminia replied as she rubbed the back of her neck, "I don't mean to neglect Alfendi so much."

Rosa was Herminia's maid who she hired to help keep her office tidy since she herself wasn't much of a tidy person. After a busy day of work her office would always have scattered books on the floors, documents, and even sometimes puzzles she managed to lose in the mess.  
The maid shook her head as she placed the books and the bookshelf; she believed the answer to the professor's dilemma was to simple not to work so much. She knew very well her employer was dedicated much more than needed to her job.

"Oh that reminds me, this came in the mail for you, professor." Rosa stated as she pulled out a envelope out of her pocket.

Herminia nodded her head in gratefulness before taking the letter. Her brown eyes widened in surprise when she saw the return address was from Misthallery, the town Clark and his family moved to nine years ago. With her curiosity peaked she opened up the envelope to see the letter inside was indeed from her old friend. It was a message asking for her help because the town was being terrorized by a mysterious specter. She frowned as she closed her eyes in thought at this new revelation. When she opened her eyes once again she was surprised when she actually noticed the letter held a puzzle that spelled out the message "Help us."

 _"It's been so long since I've seen or spoken to Clark. But his letter sounded urgent. I need to find out what's going on there."_ Herminia thought to herself.

With her mind set the professor pulled on her brown trench coat and buttoned it up around her stomach as she told Rosa to call her parents to watch Alfendi for a few days. She felt a little guilty about leaving her son behind but the last thing she wasnted to do was to unintentionally drag him into danger. Without another word she stuffed the letter in her pocket and dashed out of the office. The brown-headed woman greeted a few people as she made her way to her car. But as she got in her car, she had no idea she was being watched by a man on a scooter wearing a white helmet, a yellow trench coat, a pink tie, white pants, and black boots.

The man quickly started up his scooter and quickly sped after the red car speeding away from the university. He swerved past many cars as he revved his scooter's engine, doing all he could to catch up to the Herminia's car. Fortunately because of his tactics he was able to pull up next to the red car. He glanced in the window just in time to see the professor glance at him and give him a stunned look. A small smirk formed on his face before without warning he sped his scooter in front of the car and swerved into its path.

Herminia clenched her teeth as she slammed on the breaks instantly. Much to her relief the car screeched to a stop, inches away from the man's scooter. At that moment her shock instantly turned into anger as she swung open her driver's door and got out of the car.

"And exactly what the blazes were you trying to accomplish there?" Herminia demanded with her brows lowered in anger.

The man removed his helmet, revealing his shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He grinned as he held his helmet under one of his arms before turning toward and holding out his free hand to the professor.

"Sorry about that. The name's Emmett Altava, I'm your new assistant. I was assigned to you by Dean Delmona" he greeted.

Herminia blinked her eyes both in surprise and in confusion. She never recalled any news about getting an assistant and no one had ever approached her about the idea. Despite the fact she wanted to get the bottom of Emmett's claim, she chose to ignore it for the time being. Without uttering a single word she gestured with her hand for him to go with her before getting back in her car.  
Emmett nodded before using all his strength to pick up his scooter and tie it down on top of the roof with some rope he always carried around whenever he wanted to park his scooter. Once that was all set he climbed into the passenger's seat.

"So where are we going to exactly? I could tell you were in a hurry based on how quickly you left the university." Emmett asked as he propped his elbow against the door.

The brown-headed man raised one of his brows when he saw a small smile form on the professor's face. He didn't know why but apart of him liked seeing that smile. His eyes widened when he realized what he thought before he quickly shook his head rapidly to banish the thoughts. Once he was done he saw Herminia was holding out a letter for him and told him it was the reason for her hasty exit. Emmett grasped the envelope in his hands as his brown eyes scanned over each of the words.

"Hey there's a secret message here! If you take the capital letter starting at each line it forms 'Help us.'" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm, so you noticed as well." the professor commented with a grin, "That's good because if you are going to be my assistant you're going to have to notice these things. But onto the matter at hand, I've hadn't any contact with Clark ever since he joined the excavation team to find the Golden Garden. Now after years he has made contact with me again and he speaks of a mysterious specter."

Emmett closed his eyes as he folded his arms over his chest. The Golden Garden was a name he was too well familiar with, in fact it was part of his reason why he accompanying the brown-headed woman. He clenched his teeth tightly as he recalled his orders from Bronev to report on anything about the Azran Herminia ends up finding. He opened his eyes, glancing over at the determined woman who remain focus on her destination. A part of him felt guilty for lying and deceiving her, especially when the time came to reveal his true intentions. After all he knew how much Bronev wanted his daughter back.

The ride lasted a few hours until finally the small car pulled into the small village of Mistahallery. The two adults looked around in silence as they both got out of the car. Herminia reached her hand up and began rubbing her thumb along the brim of her hat. She didn't know why but apart of her was dreading to investigate the mysterious Misthallery due to the fact how closely it is connected to the Azran. She released a shaky sigh as she squeezed her eyes shut, recalling the two times she did something involved with the Azran the price she paid was with Randall's and Clarence's lives. Without a word she shook her head and opened her eyes to get rid of her nerves. Tragedy or not she knew Clark needed her help.

"Hey, you!" Emmett called out when he saw a man standing next to a tree, "Do you know where Clark Triton lives?"

"Oh you mean the mayor. Sure just head straight over the bridge and then take the path to the left. You should see his house start coming into view." the man replied.

Emmett nodded his head in gratefulness before turning back to face Herminia. Having gain their new knowledge the two headed deeper into town, following the directions they were given. The brown-headed assistant even got a bit nervous when he had to cross the bridge due to how worn down it looked from age and was quickly relieved when he and Herminia made it to the other side. After awhile of walking the two found themselves standing before a large two story house that belong to none other than Clark Triton.  
Without a word Herminia knocked on the door, prompting for it to be opened up by the butler. The professor raised a brow in confusion when for a moment she saw the expression of shock and fear flash across the butler's before it quickly reverted to a neutral expression.

"Yes, how can I help you?" the butler asked.

"We're here to see, Clark Triton." Herminia explained.

The butler was confused until he saw Emmett walk out from behind the professor while he was taking some snapshots with his camera. Upon seeing the assistant he clenched his teeth and did his best to hold back a snarl; he was not at all pleased to see him. But not wanting to alert Herminia to any suspicion the butler quickly regained his composure.

"Of course, right this way. Master Clark, should be in his study attending to some very important documents." the butler said as he guided the two adults in.

Herminia and Emmett were lead past the stairs and into a small room where there they were greeted with Clark who had now grown a beard and now wore a blue suit sitting at a large desk.  
His brown eyes glanced up when he heard his butler tell him he had visitors, prompting his mouth to drop open in shock.

"Herminia, I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as he ran over and hugged the brown-headed woman.

Herminia laughed as she returned the hug; she had truly missed the presence of her old friend.  
After a few seconds Clark pulled out of the hug and noticed Emmett. He was curious why the brown-headed man was with his old friend; he knew it certainly wasn't a boyfriend despite Clarence's death due to the fact he could tell the brown-headed woman loved her deceased husband too much.

Wanting to get answers he asked "So who is this gentlemen accompanying you?"

Emmett did his best not to flinch when he heard the word "gentlemen." He didn't want to be addressed by that name because he believed that was the last thing he should be considered. The assistant used all his strength to not allow the frown from on his face as he remembered that very same word when he found Herminia six years ago and alerted Bronev to her location.

_"Any lady would be glad to help out a fine gentlemen such as yourself."_

Emmett was awakened from his thoughts when he heard Herminia explain "Oh this is Emmett Altava, he's my assistant. Now onto the matter at hand, Clark I received you letter about the specter terrorizing the town and I've come to help."

Upon hearing those words Clark's smile instantly transformed into a solemn frown as his face turned pale. He couldn't have Herminia investigating the specter, especially since he knew why the specter was terrorizing the town. He clenched his hands into fists as his brown eyes glanced over at his butler to see him coldly glaring at him. He knew he would have to explain himself quickly or otherwise he would have to face the consequences. That was when he recalled the professor claiming the she received a letter.

"Wait, I didn't send any letter." he said, curious as why she claimed she had one.

Herminia frowned in confusion before replying "But I have it right here."

Clark nearly stopped breathing when he saw the brown-headed woman pull a letter out of her pocket and hold it in front of him. He knew he certainly didn't write the letter but wondered who could have. That was when his brown eyes widened in realization; he now knew exactly who wrote the letter since it had to be the only person who knew about the specter and had knowledge of Herminia's existence.

"Luke." he muttered in fear.

"Pardon me, what did you just say?" Herminia asked, wanting to know who wrote the letter.

Clark took in a deep sigh, hoping nothing terrible would happen before explaining "It must had been Luke who sent the letter. You should remember him, Herminia, since after all you are his godmother. But lately he has been distant and secluded ever since Brenda left. He keeps on muttering about the specter and the world ending. Herminia, I know it is a lot of me to ask but could you perhaps talk with him? You could probably get better through him than I could. His room is upstairs and at the end of the hall."

Herminia was stunned by this new discovery, not only by the fact that Luke was the one who wrote the letter but also because Brenda had apparently left Clark. She frowned in concern as she stared at her friend in disbelief. She remembered Brenda being so happy with the dirty-blond-haired man and knew it was out of character for her to get up and leave, especially without her son since she also remembered how overjoyed the woman was about having a child. Deciding to push the matter aside she agreed to Clark's task before heading up the stairs with Emmett.

"Well that was a sudden change of behavior, one moment he was happy and the next he got all quiet and solemn." Emmett commented as he and the professor reached the top of the stairs.

"I agree, there was something off with Clark. But the important matter now is Luke. He sent that letter for a reason." Herminia commented.

The brown-headed man nodded his head in agreement before finding himself and his companion at the end of the hallway.  
The professor remained stern as she knocked on the door. She had no idea what Luke would look or act like since the last time she saw him he was still a baby.

Only a few seconds of silence passed by before the voice of a young boy called out from the other side of the door "Who is it?"

"Luke, I'm Professor Herminia Layton. I'm an old friend of your father's and I came here to talk to you about the letter." she replied.

Luke was silent for a few moment before saying "You say that yet anyone could say that. If you really are Professor Layton then you should be able to easily pass this puzzle. In order to prove your identity you must perform an action in fifteen seconds, but just remember you can't do anything to solve this puzzle!"

"Gah, Clark didn't say that the kid was keeping himself locked in his room. How are we supposed to know what action he wants us to do? It could be anything." Emmett exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration.

But much to the assistant's surprise Herminia only grinned before proclaiming to Luke that she already knew the answer. His brown eyes stared at the woman in shock as she just stood in front of the door doing nothing. After fifteen seconds he gasped in surprise when he heard the sound of the bedroom door being unlocked.

"How did you know what to do?" Emmett asked.

"Simple, Luke already gave me the answer. 'You can't do anything to solve this puzzle.' was the answer to exactly solving the puzzle." she answered with a smile.

Upon realizing this Emmett slapped his forehead in embarrassment, wondering why he wasn't able to see the solution so easily.  
Without another word Herminia grasped ahold of the doorknob and opened it up to see a young boy the age of seven with dirty-blond hair, brown eyes, and wearing a white button-up shirt, blue shorts with black suspenders, brown shoes, and a blue flat cap. The brown-headed woman couldn't prevent from letting out a gasp upon seeing the boy that was no longer the small baby she held in her arms.

Slowly a smile formed on her face as she greeted "Hello, Luke."

Luke lifted his head up, his brown eyes making contact with the professor's before replying "Hello, Professor Layton."


	26. The Specter

Chapter 26

Luke kicked around his legs nervously as he stared at the brown-headed woman before him. He wasn't sure what Herminia was like since he only heard bits and pieces about the professor from his father. The young boy took in a deep breath before directing his attention to Emmett. He raised a brow in both curiosity and confusion since he never did recall his father mentioning him. It made him wonder who the brown-headed man could be and why he was accompanying the professor. Unfortunately Luke didn't get to think about this long when he saw Herminia pull the letter he had sent out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"I received your message. Very clever to sneak a message in. Now can you explain to me about the specter?" Herminia asked in a stern tone.

Luke couldn't prevent his body from shuddering just from hearing the name of the mysterious being. He squeezed his eyes shut as he explained how the specter only came at night and the first signs of it's appearance is when a thick fog covers the town.

"In order to warn the townspeople I've taken the roll on as the Oracle. I always send out a warning whenever the specter is going to attack." the young boy said as he clenched his hands into fists.

Herminia silently placed her hand against her chin and closed her eyes in thought. The fact the specter only attacked during foggy nights already had her intrigued. She knew if the specter truly was real it would probably attack at any time but the fact it only attacked at a specific time hinted to her something was off. But she couldn't know for sure until she had gathered more information. Her eyes snapped wide open when she heard the butler enter the room. As the butler walked past her for a moment she could have swore he glared at her, as if he didn't want her to be there at all. This reaction left her puzzled but for the moment she chose to ignore her concerns to focus on the matter of the specter.

"Master Luke, I came to inform you that I have sent your message to the police like you requested." the butler said in a stern tone.

"Wait a message? What is the message for?" Emmett asked out of interest.

Luke gestured his hand out toward his butler before answering "Whenever I predict when the specter is going to attack, I have Mr. Doland Noble here send a message to the police so they can evacuate the people before the specter attacks. Today I predicted the north district of town will be attacked tonight."

Emmett nodded his head before pulling out a small notepad from his pocket and immediately writing down all the information. As he did this he noticed Doland giving him a cold and hateful glare. The assistant raised a brow both out of confusion and suspicion. He had noticed earlier how the butler had glared at Herminia but it wasn't a hateful one like he was receiving. It made him wonder if the butler hated him and for what reason he did so.

"Hmm, so you say the specter will be there tonight?" Herminia asked.

Luke nodded his head rapidly, a part of him hoping the brown-headed woman didn't think he was making it up.

His worries were relieved when he heard the professor reply "Then it's settled. Emmett and I will stay in the north district to see this specter for ourselves."

Doland clenched his teeth as he did his best from yelling at the woman before him to stay away from the north district. He didn't want her anywhere near the specter, in fact he didn't want her in town at all. He cursed the fact he didn't bother checking the letter Luke had him mail; had he known it was going to be sent to the professor he would have never sent it in the first place. He didn't want her wrapped up in the whole mess, especially due to the reason why the specter was there in the first place.

But before the butler could speak up Luke exclaimed "Wait, I want to go with you!"

All three adults in the room were stunned by this statement. They couldn't imagine that a child would want to go on such a dangerous task considering the damage they had already seen the specter do to the town.

"Hey, kid, that isn't a good idea. You said yourself the specter is dangerous and your father is already worried enough about you. The last thing the professor and I need is to worry over a child getting hurt during a specter attack." Emmett replied in a firm tone.

Luke clenched his teeth in anger before saying with a hint of a snarl in his voice "My name isn't Kid, it's Luke! Also I can take care of myself so I wouldn't get hurt! Besides I don't care what my father says at the moment."

Herminia's mouth slightly dropped open in surprise from hearing those very words. She couldn't imagine why Clark's son was so bitter to him. She never depicted her friend as the abusive or neglectful type which made her curious as to why Luke would have such ill feelings toward him. But shortly she got her answer when she saw tears form in the young boy's eyes as his body trembled with small sobs. With a frown the professor walked over to Luke and kneeled down in front of him much like she did with Alfendi whenever he was disturbed.

"Something's wrong with father, I think the specter did something to him." Luke whispered quietly as tears streamed down his face, "He refuses to acknowledge what happened to mother and keeps himself locked in the room most of the time. The father I knew would never do that."

Herminia didn't say a word as she took her hand and wiped away the young boy's tears. She gave him a small encouraging smile when she saw him lift up his head and look her straight in the eyes. She knew there was no denying it, the young boy's eyes were full of determination, much like hers were. With her mind set she agreed to let Luke accompany her much to Emmett's and Doland's shock.  
After making the butler promise not to alert Clark Triton on his son's whereabouts, Herminia and Emmett left the house along with Luke.

"There should be a hotel in the north district we can stay at, Mrs. Layton. That way we'll be there when the specter arrives." Luke explained as he guided the professor and her assistant to their destination.

It wasn't long before the trio found themselves standing before a two-story building with the sign that read hotel. No one said a word as they entered the establishment to be greeted by a gray-bearded man sitting at the front desk.

"Visitors! I can't believe it! Ha that means that not everyone believes that specter nonsense!" the bearded man laughed, "So what can I do for you folks?"

"We would like a room, my companions and I will be spending the night here." Herminia explained as she tipped her hat a bit in greeting.

"Huh, never thought I would ever see a woman tip their hat like a gentlemen." the hotel clerk commented before handing the professor the room's key.

The brown-headed woman nodded her head in gratefulness before heading upstairs with her two companions. Once they made it to their room Herminia couldn't help but cringe a bit when she saw the room only contained two beds. She let out a sigh as she rubbed her fingers against her forehead, knowing that no matter what the sleeping arrangements were going to be a bit awkward.  
Her thoughts were interrupted when Emmett mentioned that he needed to make a phone call to his employer. Herminia nodded in understanding before she watched the young man dash down the stairs.

"Um, Mrs. Layton, can I ask you a question?" Luke asked as he glanced where Emmett took off.

"Of course you can, Luke." she answered with a kind smile, "What is it?"

The young boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously before he said "Um is that man, Emmett I think you called him your husband?"

At that moment the professor's face turned blood red out of embarrassment and shock. She tried to keep her ladylike appearance when she asked the young boy on why he had gotten that impression. But the answer nearly broke her heart when Luke explained how he noticed she wore a wedding ring. Herminia frowned as she lifted up her hand and glanced down at the bright shimmering gold ring, a constant reminder that she kept with her of her deceased husband. She glanced down at Luke to see the expression of guilt form on his face when he realized he had unintentionally depressed her.

Doing her best to hide away her depression Herminia smiled as she laid her hand on the dirty-blond-headed boy's shoulder, trying to silently assure him that she was alright and that he shouldn't worry about her.  
Meanwhile with Emmett he was downstairs in a private phone room, making sure no one could hear his phone call. The last thing he needed was to someone over hear how he was a targent agent and blow his cover. He took in a deep sigh when he heard the familiar voice of his father figure.

"Ah, Emile, right on time. So what's your progress?" Bronev said, addressing the man by his formal name.

"Well Layton is investigating in Misthallery. Something about a specter terrorizing the town. Are you sure all you want me to do is just to spy on her and report about her findings on the Azran, Uncle Leon?" Emmett replied, "I mean last time you tried to blackmail your child to join so why not her too? You certainly got leverage with the fact her husband is very much alive."

"But if you recall correctly that only caused my son to rebel. The last thing I want is for my daughter to rebel as well and join forces with her brother. Speaking of which have you seen any signs of Sycamore?" the crime boss answered as his fingers tapped against his desk.

When he heard Emmett explain that he saw no signs of Sycamore he allowed a frustrated grunt to escape his mouth. He had hoped his son would be near his daughter due to the fact he recalled how protective Descole was over his little sister. He didn't say a word as he closed his brown eyes in deep thought, remembering Descole when he hatefully glared at him after he had his wife and daughter killed. His thoughts then traveled to his daughter, picturing the scenario of his daughter screaming hatefully at him upon the discovery he had been keeping Clarence prisoner.

A small smirk formed on his face when he remembered the agents tossing the injured scientist into his office. At first Clarence wasn't much help to their cause due to fact the man kept babbling on about how he was suppose to be dead, that the moment he was transported back from the future he was sure he was suppose to be at the moment of the explosion. But after a few weeks he calmed down and cooperated after the crime boss threatened him that he would send agents to harm his wife and son if he refused to help with the projects.

"I guess I should be hanging up now. I don't want to keep the professor waiting." Emmett spoke up, snapping the Bronev out of his thoughts.

"Oh yes of course. Now remember make sure not to let anyone interfere in her solving the mysteries left behind by the Azran. If I play my cards just right she may be a valuable key in finding the Azran Emissary." the crime boss said.

The brown-headed man agreed in understanding before hanging up the phone. He took in a deep breath before leaving the private phone call room and head upstairs. Once there he was very surprised to see Luke and Herminia sitting at a small table while the young boy was trying to solve a puzzle that the professor had written for him on a piece of paper.

"Um is this right?" Luke asked as he held the paper in front of the brown-headed woman's face.

Herminia nodded her head with a grunt prompting Luke to cheer out happily that he had solved the puzzle.  
The sight before him brought a small smile on Emmett's face before it quickly faded when he remembered the whole reason he was there. He didn't know why but apart of him felt guilty for deceiving the professor and using her as a means to complete targent's goal. He squeezed his eyes shut when the memory of her six years ago smiling and calling him a gentlemen came rushing into his mind.

 _"Yeah right, I'm no gentlemen."_ he thought to himself before glancing up at the smiling brown-headed woman, prompting him to smile once more and continue, _"Still perhaps it would be nice to be 'her' gentlemen."_

Later that day nightfall had came and the town of Misthallery was covered in fog just like Luke had claimed. The trio had remained in their hotel room, waiting for the appearance of the mysterious specter. Luke frowned as he leaned out of the open window alongside Emmett who had the expression of boredom painted on his face.

"Is this specter ever going to show up, kid?" the assistant asked with a sigh.

"It will and stop calling me kid!" Luke grumbled with his arms crossed.

Herminia shook her head with a sigh before drinking some tea. She didn't understand why it seemed like the two were constantly butting heads like bulls despite the fact they only knew each other for a few hours. In attempt to preoccupy her mind she began thinking about the reason for why the specter could be terrorizing the town. She recalled from her research on the Azran that the Golden Garden was connected to the tale of a girl using a flute to summon a specter to protect the town. She didn't know why but she felt there was something much deeper happening below the surface of the situation.

But before anyone could do anything else the sound of a flute's music began playing through the air. The professor gasped as she quickly put down her cup and ran over to Luke and Emmett. The three were confused as to why a flute was being played until at the moment the room shook. The trio lost their balance and stumbled to the floor as large footsteps could be heard outside of the building.  
Luke clenched his teeth in fear as the electricity in room went out leaving them in the dark. He scampered to his feet and dashed over to the window before either Emmett or Herminia could stop him.

He leaned his head out the window and what he saw made his blood run cold. There destroying the streets and buildings was a dark silhouette of a gigantic being with glowing red eyes.

"I-I-It's the specter!" Luke cried out in fear and shock.

Herminia and Emmett ran over to the window and even they were shocked by what they saw. The brown-headed assistant was in so much shock that when he pulled out his camera to take a picture he ended up fumbling it around in his hands before managing to successfully get his shot. But unfortunately the trio didn't get to relax when they saw the specter turn toward them and swing down its hand. Luckily all three of them managed to dodge the attack as the specter's hand tore off the hotel room's wall and most of it's floor.

"That thing is going to destroy us all. We're all going to die." Luke screamed as he took in deep and frantic breaths.

He panicked until he saw Herminia grab ahold of him and grip him tightly by the shoulders.

"Luke, listen to me! Neither a gentlemen or a lady should panic in times like these. In this kind of situation it's best to keep a calm and clear mind." the professor said in strict tone as she stared at the young boy with her scolding yet caring brown eyes.

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat before slowly nodding his head, understanding what the brown-headed woman was telling him. If he continued to panic it would only result in him making poor choices due to the fact his mind wouldn't be thinking clearly. The sight of the specter still terrified him but he chose to be brave for the professor because he felt that deep down she was telling him the right thing to do.

"Now come on." Herminia started a she let go of Luke's shoulders and helped him up, "Let's see if we can find out where that specter is headed."

Not wanting to waste anymore time the three ran out of the hotel and into the fog filled streets. But because the area so was thick with fog, Herminia ended up unintentionally getting herself separated from Emmett and Luke. She whipped her head back and forth and she ran around in the fog, trying to see if she could find any sign of the specter or her companions. But just then her heart stopped when she felt someone grab ahold of both of her arms and pin her behind her back. She was about to cry out until she felt the cold metal of a rapier pressed against her neck.

She clenched her teeth as she felt her captor lean their chin on their shoulder where their head was right next to hers. The professor struggled to free herself from the captor's grip only to have the rapier get pressed against her neck a little harder.

Just then her captor hissed in her ear "You shouldn't have came here, Layton."

At that moment the brown-headed woman gasped as she felt her heart stop; she had recognized that voice.

"Leave Misthallery or I will be forced to take hasty actions. I won't let you get close to the Azran... not again." the captor threatened, taking a pause for a moment.

Herminia swallowed nervously and in disbelief. If the captor that had ahold of her was truly the person she believed them to be she didn't know how to react.

Deciding to test to see if her suspicions were correct she whispered out "Descole?"

Without warning the professor found herself immediately tossed to the ground. She let out a small yelp as she made contact with the dirt paved road before quickly turning her head back to see if she could see her captor. Unfortunately she saw no sign of anyone near her but what did catch her attention was a glowing red light in the fog. Herminia narrowed her eyes in suspicion, wondering what it could be until she heard Luke call out for her. It wasn't long till she saw both Emmett and Luke running toward her through the fog.

"Professor, what happened?" Emmett exclaimed in shock when he saw the brown-headed woman on her hands and knees.

Herminia bit her lip as the scene of her captor flashed through her mind. If it was truly Descole she didn't want anyone to know about him, instead she wanted to know herself why he was in Misthallery and why he threatened her. The only time she knew Descole ever threatened to hurt her was when he was trying to stop her from exploring the Akabadain Ruins with Randall.

"Oh it was nothing, must have tripped. How unladylike of me." the professor lied as she stood back up.

Luke crossed his arms with a raised brow. He could sense the tone of hesitancy in the professor's voice, indicating she was lying. He let out a sigh as he gave a concerned frown toward the brown-headed woman, wondering what would cause her to lie about why she ended up on the ground.

"Well in other news we lost the specter. How can something so big disappear like that?" Emmett replied as he scratched his hand.

Herminia sighed as she placed her hand against her chin and closed her eyes before replying "I don't know, Emmett. But the only way we're going to find out the mystery behind our specter is to do more investigating here."

The brown-headed woman didn't care if she was threatened by the mysterious person; she already had her mind set that no matter what she would unveil the secret behind the specter and find out exactly what's going on in the small town of Misthallery.


	27. The Black Market

Chapter 27

Luke bit his lip as he, Herminia, and Emmett walked through the now destroyed north district of Misthallery. It was now morning and the trio had set off to investigate just like they all had agreed on. His brown eyes kept glancing at the different destroyed buildings and lampposts, damage that would take weeks to repair. He took in a deep breath before he glanced up at the professor walking next to him. He was very surprised to see a little bit of worry and concern painted on her face. Luke thought about asking her if she was alright but he then recalled how that night on the specter attack about of she lied about the reason she was on the ground.

His brown eyes glanced down at the ground in thought, wondering if the true reason for why she was on the ground was what was causing her concern.

But before he could think about the matter any further his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Emmett say "You know I've been thinking about last night and I noticed before that specter showed up we heard that flute."

"Yes, I heard it as well and it has indeed left me intrigued." Herminia replied as grabbed the brim of her top hat and rubbed her thumb along the brim, "When I was doing research on the Golden Garden I stumbled upon an old story. It spoke of a town being terrorized by a dark force and to save the town a girl played a magical flute that summoned a specter. The specter defeated the dark force and saved the town and should anyone ever want the specter to return all they would have to do is to play the specter's flute."

"Do you think that flute we heard could be the one of legend?" the brown-headed man asked with a frown.

"I can't say for sure but it's not outside of the realm of possibility." the professor replied as she let go of her hat.

Luke frowned as he rubbed his arm in an attempt to keep himself calm. He knew about the legend as well and it left him confused on why the specter was destroying the town when according to legend it was suppose to be protecting it. But then at that moment the young boy froze when he realized something, he remembered how he heard rumors recently surrounding a flute.

Knowing this was a crucial fact Luke exclaimed "Wait, Mrs. Layton! I remember hearing about a flute being sold in the black market!"

Both Emmett and Herminia's spun around to face Luke in shock.

"The black market?" the brown-headed woman asked in a stunned tone.

The young boy nodded his head before continuing "Everyone knows about it but very few actually know where it's located. Supposedly it's in the west district."

The two adults turned toward each other before nodding their heads. They knew that the black market was the closest thing they had to a clue and it was worth investigating. Not wanting to waste anymore time the trio immediately headed toward the western district. But as they walked unaware to anyone they were being watched by two figures hiding away in the shadows of the alley way.  
One of the figures snarled as he slammed his fist against the brick wall next to him.

"I warned her! I told her to leave!" the figure hissed in anger.

"Master, pardon me for asking but why are you so desperate for her to be gone. I thought you established that woman was your sister. " the second figure replied.

The figure sighed as he moved a bit into the sunlight, revealing himself to be none other than Descole. His eyes squeezed shut as the memory of Herminia at the age of five bawling as her parents were taken away entered his mind, shortly to have that memory followed by the one of her at the age of seventeen when she was sitting emotionlessly on her bed in shock after Randall's death. Both scenes were caused by one common thing, the Azran. Silently Descole opened his eyes in anger, determined to make sure another tragedy will not befall his sister again.

"I can't let it happen again, Raymond." the masked man said in a dark tone, "I can't let her get close to the Azran again. I made that mistake once and I refuse to let it happen again. Inform my client to give her some extra incentive to leave town. I want her gone no matter what."

With that said he immediately spun around, causing his cape to swish through the air before walking down the dark alleyway.  
Raymond sighed as he watched his master leave. He didn't understand how Descole could be so protective over his sister to the point he's wanting his client to get her out of town. He was very aware of how dangerous the client was and the fact Descole was sending that client after Herminia was a little unnerving to the butler. But not wanting to disobey his orders due to his loyalty to his master, Raymond left the alleyway to seek out Descole's client.

It wasn't long before Luke, Herminia, and Emmett arrived at the entrance of the western district of Misthallery. But before they could enter Emmett gasped when he saw an old lady standing next to a candy cart. He didn't want to admit it to anyone but he secretly had a bit of a sweet tooth. Without warning he dashed over to the candy cart, eager to get some.

"How much are you selling this candy for?" the assistant asked as he jabbed his index finger toward some green lollipops.

"I'm not telling you! I only sell my candy to children!" the lady sneered as she swatted away the man's hand.

Emmett blinked his eyes in both shock and surprise. He couldn't believe the old lady was refusing to sell him any candy all because he was an adult. Refusing to give up he kept on insisting for the candy only to be turned down every single time.  
Luke frowned as he watched the brown-headed man constantly fail at trying to get candy from the old lady. He even felt a little sorry for him. But then just then the professor kneeled down next to him and quietly whispered to him directions.

The young boy turned toward the brown-headed woman before nodding his head in understanding and walking over to the candy cart.

"Do you think I can have the candy he was looking at?" Luke asked in an innocent tone.

"Of course you can, dearie." the old lady said with a smile, much different from her demeanor toward Emmett.

The brown-headed man grumbled to himself as he watched the young boy receive the large green lollipop he was looking at. He couldn't believe that Luke was getting the candy he wanted in the first place. He remained silent as to not be rude as the trio walked away from the candy cart.  
Luke glanced back to make sure the old lady was out of sight before holding the lollipop in front of Emmett's face.

"Here you go, Emmett!" the young boy said with a grin.

Emmett was speechless as he accepted the lollipop; he couldn't believe Luke only asked for the candy just so he could give it to him later.

"Why thank you, Luke." the assistant said with a grateful smile.

"Don't just thank me, it was Mrs. Layton's idea." the young boy replied.

Emmett blinked in shock before turning to face Herminia. He couldn't stop the blush from forming on his face as the professor explained to him that she noticed how much he wanted the candy that she figured out a loophole to insure he would get it. Many thoughts were running through his mind but all he managed to utter out was a single thank you toward the brown-headed woman.

"Well you better eat that before the candy cart seller discovers what we've done." Herminia said with a small laugh.

Emmett couldn't help but laugh in response before sticking the lollipop in his mouth.

 _"That's the second time she's helped me. She's so kind to me even though all I am is a lying scoundrel. If only she knew."_ he thought to himself as he grasped the lollipop's stick in his hand.

Without another word the trio ventured into the west district. The professor raised her brows in interest when she saw the west district was filled with nothing but children. It made her wonder why the children would be living there all by their selves and why so close to a supposed black market location. Deciding to keep this question in mind she along with her two companions walked around the streets, asking the children if they knew anything about the mysterious black market. After a series of questioning the group ended up finding out that the reason why only a few amount of people knew the black market's location was because only certain people were allowed in and those people were the one who knew the secret of the raven.

"The secret of the raven? What is that suppose to mean?" Luke asked out of confusion.

But before anyone could say anything at that moment a cloaked figure wearing a raven's mask jumped down in front of them. The masked figure laughed before finally it took off running.  
Emmett clenched his teeth as he chased after the figure, figuring that the mysterious cloaked person was the raven the children were talking about. His eyes remained focused on the cloaked figure he pursued, using all the strength in his legs to keep up his running sprint. When he saw the figure jump up some crates and make their way up to the roof, Emmett only smirked before doing the same thing with ease.

Unknown to the brown-headed man Herminia and Luke were chasing after him on the ground. The professor gasped as she watched her assistant easily scale up a group of crates to the roof. She had never seen anyone with that kind of agility and strength before, making her wonder exactly what Emmett did to gain such endurance.  
Emmett thought for sure he was going to catch the figure thanks to his training with targent that actually allowed him to become quite a strong and athletic man despite not looking like one, but much to his shock when the figure rounded around the corner he immediately saw the figure run out from an alley way down on the ground below.

His mouth dropped open, leaving him speechless and flabbergasted. Without a word Emmett jumped off of the roof and landed on the ground with a grunt, just in time to see Herminia and Emmett run up next to him.  
The trio looked around in shock as they watched the masked figure run out from different alleyways in such a short amount of time.

"Well this is quite maddening." Herminia commented as she placed her hand against her head, causing her top hat to be pushed up a bit.

"No kidding! Who runs this fast?!" Emmett exclaimed as he head whipped frantically back and forth, watching as the raven kept running through different alley ways.

"You don't suppose this raven is magic do you?" Luke asked.

Instead a reply the trio heard laughter fill the air before finally out of the alleyway in front of them emerged the cloaked figure.

"I'm the raven you seek." the figure smirked, "I run the black market and I heard you chumps were seeking it. Well I'm here to tell you that only people who know the secret of the raven is granted access to my abode. Figure that out and you'll be granted access."

Herminia closed her eyes as she took a moment to think about the situation presented before her. She noticed while they were chasing the raven the children they had meant earlier had all apparently disappeared. At that moment her eyes snapped open when it dawned on her the exact reason why the children were gone.

"Alright, we understand your terms. So what must we do?" Herminia asked, deciding to play along.

"Gather the five silver coins around the west district and then solve the puzzle of the raven. Only then the path will be revealed to you." the cloaked figure answered before finally they ran away, disappearing from sight.

Knowing they had no other choice the trio began searching the west district the coins. Fortunately they were able to find them after a bit of searching, discovering they were hidden in place such as food baskets and cracks in the walls. With all five coins collected the trio made their way back to the spot where they had first spotted the raven. There a young girl with the expression of boredom painted on her face was waiting for them.  
Herminia silently reached into her pocket and pulled out the coins they had gathered before showing them to the little girl.

The little girl's face lit up in interest before she pulled out a brown box and told the professor to solve the puzzle of the raven.  
Fortunately thanks to her years of solving puzzles Herminia was able to easily solve the puzzle. Not once did she utter a word as she slid the coins into place, creating the formation of a raven.  
Luke opened his mouth in awe when he saw how fast the professor solved the puzzle and the fact she actually got it write. He knew his father told him Herminia was good at solving puzzles but he had no idea exactly how good she was. The young boy remained silent as he made it set in his mind that he wanted to get as good at solving puzzles like the woman next to him.

"Well you solved the puzzle, guess that means I have to show you the way to the black market." the girl said.

With that done she walked over to a crate and shoved it out of the way to reveal a hole with a ladder leading down into a dark tunnel.

"Well no wonder no one really knows where the black market is. It's been underground the whole time." Emmett commented with his arms crossed.

The three said nothing as they made their way done the ladder, entering the dark tunnel.  
Luke grew a little frightened from the darkness thanks to the specter attack and without thinking he clung on to the nearest thing to him which happened to be Herminia's arm. Realizing what he did he silently gasped before staring up at the professor's face. Much to his surprise she didn't seem to mind and only kept her sights focused on the light at the end of the tunnel.

They kept walking till finally they found themselves in a large room lit up with many torches with many antiques and artifacts laying around. There was no denying that they had finally stumbled upon the mysterious black market.

"Hey it's that guy again!" Emmett exclaimed in surprise.

Sure enough on the other side of the room was the cloaked figure. Instead of laughing like he did the first time he saw them, instead he lifted his arm and beckoned the group to follow before entering the red door he stood in front of.  
Herminia silently nodded her head toward her two companions to silently tell them to follow before finally all three of them walked through the red door. There they saw the cloaked figure standing before them.

"You solved the puzzle now what business do you have here?" the figure asked.

"We've come here to ask about a flute that was sold here. We would like to know exactly who bought it." Herminia answered.

"And why should I tell you anything?" the figure replied with a sneer.

But much to the cloaked figure's surprise the woman before only grinned as she tilted her hat down a bit with a mischeivious glint in her eyes. It was at that moment his heart stopped in fear when the professor revealed that she knew his identity and that she would expose it to the town if he did not give her the information he required. He wondered how she managed to figure it out so easily when no one in the past was able to figure out the identity of the raven.

"Wait you mean someone we met is the raven?" Luke asked, his voice full of surprise and shock.

"Not just someone, but many." Herminia began to explain, "I noticed when we were chasing the raven all the children we had encountered had seemingly vanished. It was then are realized their disappearance is the reason why the raven could run at imaginable speeds. In reality the raven is multiple people, the raven is the children we saw."

The cloaked figure chuckled before replying "You're pretty smart. Who knew you would catch on?"

The figure removed his cloak and raven mask to reveal a young boy with gray hair that hid away one of his brown eyes, wearing a blue cap, a white shirt with a cream-colored scarf, a red vest, blue pants, and gray shoes.

"The name's Crow and I'm the leader of the Black Raven." the boy said with a smirk.

Emmett was shocked as he slapped his hand against his forehead, realizing the raven he was chasing earlier was a child. He couldn't believe that a child actually managed to have endurance that could compete with his own.  
Luke was surprised as well but not for the same reasons as the assistant, instead he was that children around his age were able to run a black market.

"So you want to know about the flute?" Crow asked as he directed his eyes toward Herminia.

The brown-headed woman nodded her head in agreement prompting the gray-headed boy to let out as sigh as he titled his head down.

"The man who bought it was Evan Barde. But you won't be able to speak with him because he died a year ago." he said.

Both Emmett and Herminia was stunned by this news. The only one who wasn't shocked was Luke, instead the young boy's eyes darkened as he stared at the ground. The memory of seeing the dead man's body on the ground, surrounded by people whispering and gossiping about how they were glad the man was dead. But the part of the memory that hurt him the most was of a ginger-haired girl in a dark blue dress sobbing as she clung tightly onto her father's arm and begged him to come back.

Luke was awakened of his thoughts when he heard Emmett ask "Well did Mr. Barde have any relatives that could have the flute?"

"Only one that people still hear from..." Crow replied, the answer causing Luke to snarl in anger, "Arianna, also known as the Witch of Disaster."


	28. Arianna

Chapter 28

"Don't say that about her!" Luke shouted, shocking everyone in the room, "Arianna is not a witch!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he thought about the young girl. He remembered how she use to have nice chats with him during boring parties that never kept his interest. Instead the two would stand outside and look at the stars together, chatting about what it would be like to see the stars all the time. His eyes snapped open and he let out a gasp when he felt someone lay their hand on his shoulder. Luke's brown eyes glanced up to see Herminia giving him a concerned frown as she leaned down next to him.

"Luke, is there something you like to tell us about Arianna?" the professor said, refusing to refer to the girl as a witch since that would be unladylike of her.

The dirty-blonde-haired boy sniffed his nose a few times as he wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

"Can I tell you alone, I don't feel like talking about it in front of others." Luke whispered in a weak tone.

Herminia nodded her head in understanding before asking Emmett to gather more information from Crow about the supposed witch to which her assistant agreed. With that the professor took Luke by the hand and guided him out of the black market. The two walked among the streets of the west district only for a few moments until finally they stumbled upon a single bench underneath a tree. Without a word both of them sat down, only the sounds of the wind and birds chirping surrounded them. Herminia glanced down at Luke to see he had his hands clasped tighter between his legs and his kept his hand hanging low as he absentmindedly kicked his legs around that dangling off the edge of the bench.

A small chuckle managed to escape her mouth when she noted Luke looked much similar to her son Alfendi usually when he got in trouble. But even though Luke wasn't in trouble the brown-headed woman knew the young boy was doing the action fro the same reason her son would do it and that was because he was nervous. Silently in an attempt to calm Luke down she began rubbing her hand up and down his back in a slow and gentle motion. When the young boy looked up at her she only gave him a reinsuring smile to show him she was there to listen.

Luke took in a shaky, getting over his nerves before explaining "Arianna is my friend. She was the only person I could talk to during those boring parties my parents attended. But despite the fact she was kind a lot of people in town hated her and her family. Now after her father's death they're accusing her of being a witch. How heartless can people be to treat such a kind girl who's father died like that?"

Unable to hold back his feelings anymore Luke clung onto the professor and began sobbing as he buried his face in her shoulder.  
Herminia bit her lip as she wrapped her free arm around the boy, pulling him closer into the embrace. She was very familiar with the rage and hatred toward people spreading rumors from when she was seventeen and people were spreading rumors about her being the cause of Randall's death.

"It's alright, Luke." Herminia started in a kind tone, "Some people can be cruel like that but it's up to us to not stoop to their level. That is why it is important to always remember to be a true gentleman no matter what the situation. The same goes for true ladies as well."

Luke lifted up his head and blinked away the tears in his eyes. He never though of being gentlemen was a sign of showing of being a better person; he always thought being a gentlemen was just simply being polite. But because of the professor's words he now knew what being a gentlemen truly meant, a gentlemen was a person that is never cruel and always reaches out to help those that are suffering not to be polite but because they want to do it out of the kindness of their heart.

"Thanks, professor. This talk really helped me." the young boy said before sniffing his nose.

The brown-headed woman smiled back until finally she saw her assistant approaching them.

"I got the information you asked for, professor." Emmett said, "The reason people think Arianna is a witch because people had reported seeing a strange mark on people's homes would said anything bad about her father Mr. Barde. Mysteriously enough every single time the mark appears, that following night the house is destroyed by the specter."

"Well that is peculiar." Herminia replied as she crossed her arms in concern, "Perhaps we could shed more light on the situation if we spoke to Arianna in person. Who knows the witch's mark could be unrelated to both her and the specter."

Both Emmett and Luke nodded their heads in agreement; they knew the only way they would get the answers they seek was by asking the girl herself. With their mindsets the trio with guidance by Luke made their way to the old Barde family's mansion.  
Herminia was surprised when her gazed upon the old worn down mansion. It was in so much of a bad shape that she found it hard to believe a child still lived there.  
Emmett walked up to the door and tried to open it but much to his surprise the doors were locked tight.

"Alright get back, I'm going to break down the doors." the brown-headed man proclaimed as he raised his leg in the air.

But before he could slam his foot against the door Luke shouted "Don't that will only frighten Arianna!"

Emmett grumbled as he lowered his foot back down on the ground before asking "Well then how are we supposed to get inside to talk to her, kid?"

"For the last time stop calling me kid and I don't know!" the young boy replied back.

Herminia remained silent as she took the moment to examine her surroundings; that was when she noticed near the back of the mansion was a bridge that lead to a tower.

"Perhaps we can enter through there." she suggested as she pointed her finger at the tower.

Emmett and Luke instantly turned their heads where they could see the tower. Figuring that was the better option than breaking down the door the trio went over to the tower and entered it. Inside the were greeted with dust, cobwebs, and overgrown vines.  
Deciding to explore Emmett went over to the vines and pulled some away to reveal a large staircase leading higher up the bridge. Sure enough the stairs lead them to the bridge where they managed to enter the mansion through a back door.

"It's so dusty in here." Luke commented as he looked around.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a yell. He instantly turned around to see Emmett frantically try to brush a spider web he had walked into off of his clothes. The young boy couldn't help but snicker at the man's actions; he found it hard to believe a tough and athletic person like Emmett was actually frightened of spiders.

"Why, Emmett, I had no idea spiders terrified you so much." Luke teased.

Upon hearing this Emmett instantly straightened out his jacket as he replied "What are you talking about? I'm not afraid of a silly little bug."

A sly smirk formed on the young boy's face before he said "Well then it shouldn't bother you that there's a huge spider on your shoulder."

At that moment Emmett unleashed a frightened yell as he instantly swat his hand against his shoulder repeatedly and jerked around his body while his brown eyes searched for the spider. He only stopped when he Luke's laughter reached his ears, realizing the boy was lying to him. The assistant didn't bother holding back the snarl that escaped his mouth as he glared at the dirty-blonde-headed boy, angry that he managed to fall for such a simple trick.

"Alright, that's enough joking around. Remember why we're here." Herminia said in a stern tone, reminding her two companions for their search Arianna.

In order to search the house faster the three split up in different directions. The professor decided to stick with the second-floor of the house in hopes that the young girl would be in her bedroom. Her brown eyes silently glanced at the dusty and cracked walls of the hallway as she made her way to a single door at the end of it. It made her wonder how a child could live on their own for such a long time without their parents. But she didn't consider the feat impossible all because of the fact that she felt that she herself had done it before but couldn't remember when.

It only took her a few seconds to finally reach the door before her. She took in a deep breath as she grasped ahold of the handle, hoping Arianna was on the other side. Much to her relief when she opened up the door she was greeted by the sight of a young girl with ginger colored hair and blue eyes, wearing a white bow, a blue dress with a white collar and a red bow on the front, white stocking, and blue shoes sitting in a chair next to an open window.  
The girl stared out at the open window with a frown; her blue eyes staring out at the lake next to her mansion.

Deciding to alert the girl to her presence Herminia spoke up "Arianna Barde?"

Arianna gasped in fear as she jumped out of the chair, making direct eye contact with the professor.

"W-Who are you? How did you get in here?" the young girl stuttered in fear as she backed away toward the window.

"Forgive me for the intrusion but I'm Professor Layton. I'm a friend of Luke's and we came here to see you." the brown-headed woman stated in a calm tone in attempt to ease the girl's fears.

"No! I don't want any help from anyone!" Arianna sobbed as she squeezed her eyes shut, "Just please leave me alone! I'm nothing but a witch!"

Just as Herminia was about to speak up she heard a yell. At that moment the professor saw a young boy shove past her and run over to the sobbing girl. The boy had ginger hair as well along with brown eyes and wore a yellow sweater, a blue scarf and shorts, white socks, and brown shoes. The boy said nothing as he hugged Arianna tightly, prompting the young girl to fall to her knees and sob on the boy's shoulder.

"Leave my sister alone!" he said in a determined tone.

Herminia's face turned pale and her heart felt like it nearly stopped breathing when she heard that.

"W-W-What did you say?" she whispered in a shaky tone.

"Leave my sister alone! You people only make things worse for hear. Now go and leave us alone! We don't want any help!" the boy shouted.

At that moment Herminia began taking in ragged and shaky breaths. She squeezed her eyes shut and held a hand against her forehead as her knees buckled. She didn't know why those words had a strong effect on her as an image began to enter her mind.

_Young five-year old Herminia continued to sob as she clung onto her brother Descole. She had no idea how long they had been hiding in the kitchen cupboard but she was too terrified to lift up her head in fear the people the took her parents would come to get her and her brother. Her sobs turned into a couple of hiccups as she felt her brother run his hand up and down his back. Deciding to swallow her fears Herminia lifted up her head; her brown eyes meeting Descole's. She could see not only was there sadness in Descole's eyes but also anger as well._

_The two remained silent until at that moment the cupboard swung open. Out of instinct Herminia instantly clung tightly onto her brother as she whined in fear. But the one who opened the cupboard was not a targent agent, instead it was a police officer. The officer's mouth hung open in shock before he called over to the other officers. Herminia whimpered as she saw more people stand in front of the cupboard she and her brother hid in. She didn't care if they were police officers which were people her parents taught her that would help her during bad times, all she knew was she wanted no one near her and her brother._

_Sensing this Descole snarled before glaring at the officers crowding around them._

_When one of the officers tried reaching for Herminia to help her out of the cupboard, Descole tightened his grip around her before yelling "Leave my sister alone!"_

_The officer instantly withdrew his hand in shock as he watch the young boy protectively hug his little sister against his chest._  
Herminia sniffed her nose as he times as she heard her brother whisper reassurances into her ear how he was going to let nobody harm her. Much to her relief all the officers but one walked away from the cupboard. A few more minutes passed by that she remained in her brother's embrace until the officer told them that the toy children had to come out sooner or later. Herminia whimpered as she felt Descole's grip tightened around her.  


_"Alright we'll come out, but don't touch my sister. This whole thing is left her scared and I can be the only one to help her." the brown-headed boy said in a stern tone._

_The officer nodded his head before backing away from the cupboard. The brown-headed girl was still frightened but seeing the brave and encouraging smile on her brother's face gave her the courage to slowly crawl out of the cupboard with him._

"Professor!" Luke shouted out a he entered the room, snapping the brown headed woman out of her thoughts.

Herminia blinked her eyes rapidly before shaking her head, wondering what that vision was. She didn't know why she saw it and she didn't know who the young boy was, leaving her confused on why she would have a vision on something she did not recall.

"Professor, are you alright? You look very pale." Luke stated in concern.

The professor shook her head a few more times before finally nodded it in reply. She figured vision she saw wasn't important and what she needed to focus on at the moment was the mystery of the specter.  
Luke frowned at the reply he had received from the brown-headed woman; he could tell she was lying about her state and something had happened to her. But for the moment he chose to ignore it as he directed his attention toward Arianna and her brother.

"Tony, please don't give me that glare, we're only here to help Arianna." the dirty-blonde haired boy said.

"Well we don't want your help! Now get out of here!" Tony yelled in anger.

Because of all the yelling Emmett entered the room out of curiosity. He was very surprised when he saw the two children huddled together on the other side of the room. His brown eyes glanced over to Herminia to see her face was still a little bit pale and her eyes looked a bit deep lost in thought. The brown-headed man frowned out of worry as he plaed his hand on her shoulder, prompting the professor to let out a surprised gasp.

"Everything alright, Professor?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Emmett." she whispered back.

The assistant nodded his head before the two directed their attention back to the young siblings.

Tony was fixing to speak up until he felt his sister lay her hand one his shoulder. He turned his head to see her give him a stern and determined look as she slowly stood back up.  
Without a word Arianna silently walked over to Luke, making sure to keep her blue eyes emotionless.

"Luke, I want you to leave. I understand you're worried about me but I'm the witch of disaster and the last thing I want is for disaster to fall on you." she said I a cold tone.

Luke clenched his fist before immediately replying "Arianna, you can't tell me you honestly believe those stupid rumors! You and I both know you're not a witch. Please, Arianna, I know the real reason why you want me gone."

Arianna clenched her teeth before squeezing her eyes shut. She just wanted her old friend to leave and never enter her sights again. She hated how the people whispered hateful rumors about her family, especially due to the fact she was secretly dying. The only one who was aware of that fact was her family and Luke. The last thing she wanted for Luke was for him to have a friend that would only be ripped away from him all because of painful fate. As much as it pained both him and her, Arianna wanted to distance herself from the dirty-blonde-haired boy as much as possible, believing it to be the best way for her friend to suffer from the least amount of grief.

After a few moments of silence she spoke up "Luke, if you truly cared about me then please leave."

Luke frowned before finally lowering his head in defeat. He knew no matter what his friend wanted him out of the house. Without a word he slowly walked out of the room, prompting both Emmett and Herminia to follow. Once they were outside of the mansion Luke finally released the breath he wasn't aware he was holding until that moment.

"All I want to do is help her. Why can't she see that?" Luke whispered.

Herminia silently walked over to him and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Luke. We're not giving up on her." she insured.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." a gruff sounding voice instantly spoke up.

At that moment the trio spun around to see a fat man with a cigar in his mouth, wearing a yellow fedora, suit, and brown shoes. The man sneered as he blew some smoke out of his mouth, his brown eyes focused on his targets.

"Third-Eye Jake!" Luke exclaimed in both shock and disgust.

"Wait who?" Emmett asked out of confusion.

"He's chief of the police force here except he's a creep! No matter what he has left no case unsolved." the young boy answered.

"Heh, I'll take the word 'creep' as a compliment." Jake smirked, "Now in case you're wondering why I'm here it's because of your professor here. I don't like how she's snooping around because it's a way of saying she has absolutely no faith in my abilities. So I'm only going to say this once, Layton. Leave town or otherwise things are going to get very nasty, perhaps you'll enough suffer from a very terrible 'accident'."

Emmett snarled and without warning he stood protectively in front of the professor much to her shock.

"Not a chance fatty! No one threatens the professor while I'm around!" the brown-headed man snarled.

"Oh looks like we got a tough guy over here." the chief officer said with a dark grin, "We'll just have to take care as you as well. But I won't go to such measures if your professor actually leaves town. I'll give you an hour for you to leave town. If Layton is still here when times up then I don't need to say what will happen then"

Herminia didn't say a word as watched the fat man laugh as he walked away from him. She didn't like how Jake was wanting her out of town all because she was solving a mystery. There was no doubt in her mind that that Jake knew about something that she would eventually stumble upon with more investigation. Even though that was the second threat she received to leave town; she refused to give into her fears. Herminia knew someone wanted her out of town but that only encouraged to unravel the mystery no matter the risks.


	29. Memories

Chapter 29

Emmett clenched his teeth as his scooter sped in the city limits of London. Herminia had sent him there to get some police files of the death of Evan Barde, Arianna's father. He knew only one person that could help him get those files and he only hoped that the person he was looking for was still there. It only took a few moments for Emmett's scooter to pull up in front of the building of Scotland Yard. The assistant removed his helmet before shaking around his shaggy hair to get the bangs out of his eyes. With that done he walked into the building to see many cops and criminals shouting while a brawl was happening.

"What happened here?" Emmett exclaimed in shock with a raised brow in confusion.

"Oh hello, Emmett." a police woman with short black hair and wearing glassed greeted with a smile, "We're just having to sort with a bit of a riot. Inspector Grosky is trying to take down the leader. Last I saw they took the fight outside."

At that moment Grosky ended crashing through the window, followed by a large-muscled thug. Emmett rolled his eyes as he watched the two men wrestle around on the ground before finally the thug threw Grosky into a wall. Deciding to help the inspector out with his problem, the brown-headed man walked over to the giant thug. He narrowed his eyes before winding back his fist and punching the thug straight in the face. The thug's eyes started spinning before he finally closed them and passed out on the ground. Emmett only smirked at this result as he dusted off his hands in satisfaction.

"Emmett, is that you boy? Only a person a thin and scrawny as you is able to knock out a brute like that with a punch." Grosky grunted as he stood back up.

"One thing you thing you need to learn about me is how looks can be deceiving." the assistant replied with a grin, knowing that his statement didn't only refer to his strength.

"So exactly what brings you here?" the inspector asked.

"Oh right, the professor sent me here. She was wanting me to find the files on the death of Evan Barde." Emmett explained while rubbing the back of his neck, "She thinks it will help her investigation."

Grosky remained silent as he tapped his foot against the ground in thoughts. Only a few moments had passed before finally he turned his back toward the brown-headed man and gestured for him to follow.  
Emmett took in a deep sigh as he followed the inspector downstairs to the record room. Seeing the man before him dug up the memories of not only when he first met him but also when he first met Herminia six years ago.

_"It's no use hiding it boy so I order you to confess to your crime!" Constable Grosky demanded while he had ahold of Emmett's shirt._

_The brown-headed young man dressed in a yellow sweater, green pants, and brown boots clenched his teeth as he kept his hands clasped around the constable's wrists._

_"For the last time I didn't steal the kid's wallet! I don't even know how it got in my pocket in the first place!" Emmett yelled in anger as he tried to pull Groksy's grip off of his sweater._

_A young boy nervously rubbed his hands together as he kept his eyes focused on the ground, trying to block out the sound of the two adults arguing. Because the two men were arguing and bickering so much they failed to realize they had caught the attention of Herminia who had been walking by at the time._ _The brown-haired woman raised a brow both out a curiosity and concern; she didn't know why the two men were fighting but she intended to put an end to it. Without a word she walked up to the two and stood next to them silently, waiting for them to notice her._

_Seeing that the two men were still preoccupied with arguing with each other Herminia let a loud sigh escape her mouth before purposely coughing to alert the group of her presence.  
When both Emmett and Grosky heard the cough they both stopped arguing and slowly turned their heads to face the professor._

_"Care to explain what is the cause of the commotion gentlemen?" Herminia asked with her hand gestured out toward them._

_Emmett swallowed a lump that developed in his throat when he saw the woman standing before him. He couldn't figure out why he was so nervous when moments ago he had nerves of steel._

_"Well I was apprehending this criminal! He stole this kid's wallet and trying to weasel himself out like the dirty liar he is." Groksy explained._

_The brown-headed man's nervousness instantly melted away upon hearing those worlds, causing him to snarl and yell about how he didn't steal the wallet._  
Herminia held her hand against her chin as she thought about the explanation given to her. She could tell how there seemed to be no other witnesses that Emmett had to be telling the truth. She knew if he had truly saw the wallet someone would have seen him snatch it from the boy and stuff it in his pocket. The brown-headed woman wondered why the man would have the wallet until she noticed the boy still staring at the ground nervously and he was wearing brown new shoes.  


_A small smile formed on Herminia's face before she declared "Constable Grosky, I believe I know who your true culprit is."_

_The two men were confused until she saw the professor kneel down in front of the boy and stare at him with a stern look._

_"I don't believe the wallet belonged to you. I think the wallet could have belonged to one of your parents." she said._

_The boy gasped before squeezing his eyes shut an yelling "You don't know that."_

_But the stern expression never left Herminia's face as she continued on to explain how she noticed the shoes he bought were barely dirty, indicating they were new and he probably wasn't suppose to use the money. So in an attempt to keep his parents from finding out, he planted the wallet in Emmett's pocket when he wasn't paying attention and claimed that Emmett had stolen it._  
The boy bit his lip before breaking into a sob and constantly apologizing.  


_"It's alright but you shouldn't lie about these things." Herminia said as she laid her hand on the boy's shoulder, "It's better to be honest than to try to frame someone. Now how about we go and see if we can return those shoes."_

_The boy wiped the sleeve of his shirt against his nose before nodded his head with a smile.  
The professor smiled back before she stood up to face the two men once more._

_"Honestly it surprises me how good you are talking to children." Grosky commented._

_"Well I would have to be otherwise I would have a tough time raising Alfendi." Herminia replied with a laugh._

_The brown-headed woman turned toward Emmett to see him staring at her silently with his mouth slightly open. She stared at him with a confused expression, wondering why he was having trouble speaking when he was perfectly fine with shouting at the constable.  
Realizing he had been staring too long Emmett shook his head rapidly before rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment._

_"Sorry about that, I just didn't think someone like you would help a random stranger." he apologized._

_Herminia laughed before replying "Any lady would be glad to help out a fine gentlemen such as yourself."_

_Emmett didn't say a word a he watched Herminia turned back toward the young boy and walk away with him._

_Once she was gone the brown-headed man slowly laid his hand on top of his head and muttered "Did she just call me a gentlemen?"_

_"Well that's Professor Herminia Layton for ya, when ever she sense something is off she always gets to the bottom of it." Grosky commented._

_Upon hearing those words Emmett instantly forze and his face turned pale. He recognized that the name belonged to Bronev's daughter. Targent hadn't been able to locate her ever since she left Stansbury and now he had finally found out her location. The young man knew there was only one thing left to do now that he had knowledge of the woman's location and that was inform Targent._

"Alright here's the record room." Grosky said, snapping Emmett out of his thoughts.

The assistant let out a sigh before forcing a smile on his face. Even though he was being loyal to Bronev like he always had, apart of him still felt guilty for the choice he made that day. When he entered the room Grosky introduced him to another inspector named Chelmey and a constable named Barton who were in the room at the time looking for files. Emmett greeted them back before he started searching through the files, it took him a while but after a few minutes but he finally found the files he was looking for.

He grinned in satisfaction before he grabbed the files and ran out of the building as fast as he could so he could return to the professor. But before he could get on his scooter, much to his shock he was stopped by Grosky.

Emmett let out a frustrated sigh before asking "What is it now, Grosky?"

"I'm coming with you, obviously the town of Misthallery needs a help from one Scottland Yard's greats!" the inspector reply.

The brown-headed man rubbed his hand against his forehead as he pointed out his scooter could only seat one. But when he heard Grosky mention how he would simply run to Misthallery his eyes widened in surprise. Before he could even reply and objection, the inspector had already taken off running in a flash. The assistant scratched his head in shock for a moments, surprised by how fast the inspector could running. When Emmett remembered that Herminia was still waiting for him, he climbed on his scooter and took off.

Back at Misthallery Herminia and Luke were actually in the library searching for more information on Evan Barde's death. The professor scanned through the different newspaper articles, hoping one would give her the information she required. Her brown eyes glanced over at her young companion and noticed a small notebook in his hands. Curiosity getting the best of her she walked over to the young boy.

"Say, Luke, what's written in that notebook of yours?" she asked.

Luke jumped a bit from being startled before taking a sigh in relief when he saw it was only the professor. Ever since Jake threatened Herminia to get out of town to avoid having a terrible "accident" Luke had been worried for her. He did indeed want to get to the bottom of the mystery of the specter but he didn't want to achieve it at the cost of the professor's safety.

"Sorry, Mrs. Layton. I was just looking at my notes to get an idea where the specter will appear tonight. These notes contain the information on how I was able to predict where the specter appeared each night." the young boy explained.

The brown-headed woman raised her brows both in surprise and interest. She found it very interesting how bright Luke was which she considered very accomplished for someone his age. Her brown eyes studied each of the notes carefully, noticing that Luke wrote down the different water levels around certain areas and when it was at a certain depth he predicted that would be the place the specter would appear.

"How did you managed to get all these recordings, Luke. I can hardly imagine you not having trouble going to all these locations. " Herminia commented as she flipped through the pages of the notebook.

"Oh that's because my friend helped me search the town." Luke answered.

The professor was about to ask who the friend was until she heard squeaking.  
Luke grinned as he knelt down to the ground and out from behind a bookshelf came a mouse. He held his hands on the floor, allowing the mouse to run over and climb into his hands. The young boy stood up and held the mouse near his face.

"Did you get the readings?" Luke asked.

Herminia's slapped her hand against her forehead in shock when the mouse squeaked in reply and Luke was able to easily able to understand the mouse.

"Luke, you can speak to animals?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah I taught myself. Before I met Arianna I had no one to talk to. I noticed there was a lot of mice around so I taught myself to speak to the animals. I'm guessing you find that weird don't you?" Luke replied with a small frown as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Herminia quietly laid her hand on Luke's shoulder and rubbed it a bit before replying "Don't worry it's not strange at all."

The dirty-blond-haired boy lifted his head up and smiled back. He grateful for how kind the professor was to him and it saddened him a bit that once the mystery of the specter was solved she would return to London. Once Luke got the information from the mouse on the water levels throughout the town, he discovered the part of the town that had the lowest water levels was in the northwest district of Misthallery.

"That's an untouched spot of the city." Herminia noted as she tapped her finger against the side of her face in thought, "I think I may have started piecing together this mystery. But I can't be too sure, I'll need to scout out that area of the city before my final decision."

Luke nodded his head in agreement as the brown-headed woman handed him back his notebook. The two said no other words as they continued searching the newspapers for an articale on Barde's death.  
Herminia pushed a few papers aside, her brown eyes carefully scanning for the correct date. After a few moments she had finally found the article she was searching for. She pulled the paper out of the pile and immediately began to read it. But when she saw what was written she nearly stopped breathing, the article detailed that Evan Barde had fallen from the cliff an the only one to witness it was Clark Triton.

 _"Clark was a witness to Evan Barde's death. Why didn't he say anything to me about it? Exactly why does he feel the need to hide details from me?"_ she thought a she placed the article in her jacket pocket.,

Before anyone could say anything else Emmett came running into the library with the files in his hand.

"I got the files you asked for professor!" he said in a proud tone as he hand over the files.

Herminia silently accepted them before she opened the folder up and looked through the reports. Sure enough the files just like the newspaper article listed Evan Barde's death as suicide and marked down Clark as the only witness. But the other thing that intrigued her was the fact the files detailed Barde's will and that instead of leaving everything to his children, he left it for Clark. The professor narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she slapped the folder close, she knew that it had to be more than a coincidence that Clark was not only a witness but also the only name on the will.

Herminia closed her eyes as she closed the folder and handed back the file.

"Luke, I'm going to need you to speak to the Ravens for me and tell them to set up a little project in the west district." she said.

"What ever for professor?" Luke asked out of curiosity.

Herminia opened her brown eyes once more before answering "To set up a trap. It's time a got a better look at our specter."

Later that day nightfall had fallen over Misthallery once more. Emmett clenched his fist as he looked around the dark and abandoned streets of the northwest district. He was a little bit nervous about the fact Herminia was choosing to be at ground level when the specter appears so she could get a good look at it.

He took in a deep breath before asking "Professor, are you sure you don't want me to stay with you. I would feel awful if something happened to you when the specter appeared."

"I understand your concerns but you and Luke need to stay in a safe location. I'll be fine, besides it isn't the first time I faced a life-threatening situation." Herminia replied.

Emmett said nothing as he nodded his head in understanding, knowing that there was nothing he could say to change the brown-headed woman's mind. Knowing that the time would draw near, everyone got in their places. Herminia hid in an alley while Emmett stayed near woods and Luke in a boat. No one dared to say a word as they watched the sky filled with the eerie fog just like the night before. Sure enough just like the previous night a flute's music filled the air, echoing throughout the city. The professor leaned against the wall of the alleyway when she felt the ground began to rumble; she knew the specter was coming.

Quietly she poked her head out of the alleyway, just in time to see the dark silhouette and glowing eyes of the specter. The brown-headed woman clenched her teeth and quickly took a few steps back when she saw the specter near. The specter smashed against a few buildings as it made it's way down the street and when it was next to the alleyway it crashed onto the ground.  
Herminia instantly slammed her hand against the wall next to her to prevent herself from falling over due to the specter's fall creating a small quake. Seeing that the specter was on the ground the professor took this opportunity to get a better look.

Her brown eyes carefully examined the dark silhouette before her, taking in each detail as fast as she could. As she studied the specter she noticed that oddly while some parts of the silhouette looked like an animal, other parts looked like a machine.

"What could it be..." Herminia started to say but at that moment she felt a metal pipe bash against the back of her head.

The brown-headed woman yelled out in pain as she collapsed on the ground; her vision blacking out due tot how hard the hit was. She groaned as her eyes weakly glanced up to see a dark figure in a cape. When she saw the figure the pain of betrayal coursed through her heart; she knew exactly who the figure was. She tried to use all her strength to prevent from passing out but unfortunately she didn't have the strength.

She stared up at the figured with a pained expression before finally uttering "Why, Descole?"

Descole turned his head away from Herminia with his teeth clenched together in anger, upset that his sister did not heed his warning and he was forced to take drastic measures.

"I told you, I wouldn't let you get close to the Azran again." he muttered under his breath.

And with that Herminia finally passed out on the ground unconscious. Descole allowed a frustrated sigh to escape his mouth before he leaned down and threw his sister's unconscious body onto his shoulder. Making sure that no one was watching him, the masked man quietly walked away from the alley way with Herminia, planning to have a discussion with his little sister.


	30. Chat

Chapter 30

The fog cleared away the moment the specter disappeared. Emmett clenched his teeth as he immediately ran out from his hiding place and toward the alley way, hoping that Herminia wasn't injured when the specter fell. When he reached the alley way, his heart nearly stopped when he saw no sign of the brown-headed woman. The assistant breathed rapidly as his eyes scanned the entire are, hoping the professor was near by. But much to his dismay Herminia was no where near by. Emmett immediately turned around when he heard the sound of footsteps running toward him. There he saw Luke running toward him with a worried expression.

"Is the professor alright?" the young boy asked out of concern.

Emmett bit his lip nervously before replying "She isn't here. I saw no sign of her."

A flash of fear formed on Luke's face as he tightened his hand around his bag's strap.

"Then what happened to her?" he yelled in a slight panicked tone.

But before anyone could even reply, a bright light lit up the area, partially blinding the two companions.  
Emmett squinted his eyes before holding his hand over his eyes so he could see. When his vision cleared up enough, the brown-headed man snarled in anger when he saw Jake with a group of thugs behind him.  
The police chief released a dark chuckle as some thugs walked past him.

"Emmett Altava, you're under arrest." Jake said before taking a smoke of his cigar.

Emmett clenched his teeth as some thugs tried to grabbed ahold of his arms. He was fixing to fight back until he noticed one of the thugs seize Luke. His brown eyes glanced over at the the police chief to see him smirking at him. He then at that moment if he chose to resist that Jake would have the thugs hurt Luke. With a sigh of defeat Emmett closed his eyes as he allowed one of the thugs to handcuff his arms behind his back. Nothing but anger ran through the brown-headed man's mind as he and Luke was forcefully shoved into the back of a near by police car.

Luke's body shook as he nervously rubbed his hands together. He couldn't prevent himself from panicking at the possibility of Jake doing something to Herminia. With the absence of the professor and the sudden appearance of the corrupted police chief convinced him that his fears were true. The young boy whimpered quietly as he clung onto the nearest thing which happened to be Emmett's waist.

"Professor, please be alright." he whispered.

Herminia groaned as she slowly opened her brown eyes. Her head throbbed in pain and her vision was blurry when her senses slowly returned to her. She shook her head a few times, managing to finally clear up her vision to discover she was sitting a chair in a dark room with a fireplace. The professor said nothing as she tried to stand up. But when she did this, her arms immediately stopped her by holding her back. She raised a brow in confusion before shaking around her arms a bit, quickly learning that her wrists were tied together behind the back of the chair and her arms were hooked underneath the chair's armrest.

Herminia narrowed her eyes at this discovery, knowing the same person who had tied her up was the same one who had knocked her out in the first place.

Just then a voice spoke up "So you've finally awaken, Layton."

The brown-headed woman clenched her fists before replying "Descole."

Descole grunted as he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning on and walked into the light so his sister could see him. His teeth clenched a bit when he saw the brown-headed woman glare at him in anger. He didn't blame her for being mad about hitting her in the head with a pipe but he didn't regret it either since he wanted her as far away from the Azran as possible.

"You know, I thought you were smart, Layton. I warned you to leave this place yet you couldn't get that warning through that thick-head of yours." he said as he rubbed his fingers against the temple of his forehead.

Herminia didn't reply as she turned her head away from the masked-man. She didn't know why his betrayal was causing her heart to ache so much, almost as if deep down she cared for him. At that moment she was awakened from her thoughts when she felt Descole painfully grab her by the chin and jerk her head back where she was facing him, demanding that she pay attention. The professor immediately released a small hiss of pain escape her mouth upon getting grabbed but she made sure her glare didn't falter.

"So we're going through this again are we?" Herminia started in a dark tone, "You keeping me away from something by resorting to violence."

Descole snarled as he pulled her sister's head toward him where she had no choice but to give him eye contact.

"I tried to keep you away from the Azran seventeen years ago but because I was weak you got too close for my liking." he said as he recalled the scene of his little sister sitting in her bedroom in her comatose-like state from witnessing the death of her best friend, "But this time I won't be weak and I will go past any limit to make sure you are kept away from the legacy."

The brown-headed woman raised one of her brows, partly out of confusion and interest. She knew there had to be a reason the masked man before her was going to such lengths to get her out of town and it all pointed back to the Azran. At that moment it dawned on her why he wanted her gone, she knew he felt that she was too close to one of the legendary cities of the Azran known as the Golden Garden. But despite having this knowledge, she believed that didn't excuse the masked man even if he was right about what happens to the people the investigate the ancient civilization.

Herminia took in a deep sigh before replying "Descole, I understand you don't want me to suffer. I learned that the hard way after I ignored your warnings and lost Randall. But why go about it this way? Why go to such unnecessary needs unless there's something else you're afraid of me discovering."

Descole inhaled sharply as he immediately let go of his sister with his heart racing a bit out of fear.

 _"She's getting a little too smart for my liking. Any more slip ups and she might discover I'm her brother. I can't let that happen. Bronev already has one of his agents snooping around her, if she shows any signs of finding out he may capture her and who knows what will happen then. For her sake I have to make sure she doesn't find out and that means distancing myself from her through hatred. It's the only way to prevent her from getting close enough to find out the truth."_ he thought to himself.

With his mind set Descole formed a smirked and his face before laughing.

"What could I possibly hide from you, Layton? You think I was protecting you? No I just wanted you out of the way so I could claim the secrets of the Azran myself, you and your friend were nothing but obstacles. Unfortunately I only had the fortune of one of those obstacles being crushed." he replied, ignoring the pain of regret forming in his heart with each word.

Herminia gasped as her mouth hung open in disbelief; she couldn't believe what the masked-man not only said about her but her dead friend as well. She squeezed her eyes shut and grew confused when she felt tears forming and her heart feeling like it was stabbed with a knife. All she knew was the moment Descole uttered those words she hated him and considered him the worst being on earth for playing with her emotions but then betraying her in the end. But deep down in her heart, the thing that confused her the most was the fact it was hurting her to hate Descole, almost as if some part of her knew it was wrong to hate him.

A few moments of silence passed before finally Hermina uttered "I finally understand what kind of person you are, Descole."

Descole hated how broken his sister's voice sounded, it reminded him how she sound like in the hospital after she had almost died on the streets. He took in a deep breath before walking over to the door leading out of the room.

He grasped ahold of the handle but before he opened the door he said "I had Jake capture your assistant and that boy. Try anything funny and they will suffer the consequences."

The masked man was surprised when he heard a faint growl of anger come from his sister, indicated that his plan to make her hate him succeeded. With that he left the room without another word, a part of him wanting to proceed with his plans while the other part of him wished he didn't have to shove his sister away.

The moment she heard the door slam close, Herminia instantly lifted her head up. The professor was determined to get free, find her companions, and expose the secret behind the infamous specter. Her brown eyes glanced around the room, searching for anything that'll help free her from the ropes that kept her wrists bound together. That was when she spotted a fire iron leaning against the wall near her, but she had no way of reaching it. She immediately let out a grunt of frustration until she noticed tools and gear parts lying near her feet.

 _"Descole must had been working on something and left these behind as scraps. Good thing too because I think these scraps can be the solution to the puzzle."_ she thought to herself with a grin.

With carefulness and precision, Herminia reached out her foot and nudged one of the scraps out of the pile. She made sure it was in the right spot before hitting it as hard as she could, making the scrap piece fly through the air and slam against the fireplace shovel. Because of the momentum the shovel bumped into the iron, causing it fall into Herminia's hand. The professor grinned in victory before adjusting the iron where the pointed tip slipped in between the ropes. Once that was done she hooked her ankle around the handle of the iron and pushed it forward till she heard a loud snap.

The broken rope fell to the floor, allowing Herminia to finally get out of the chair. She rubbed at her shoulder which had grown sore from her arms being tied back before quickly leaving the room to figure out where Descole had taken her. Once out of the room she was very surprised to find herself in the Misthallery police department but that surprise vanished when she remembered Descole mention how Jake was working for him. Before the professor could even take a step she heard voices coming down from the hall.

In an attempt to avoid being captured Herminia quickly closed the door to the room she was in, but left a small crack so she could see and hear what was happening. She remained silent as it was revealed to her the owners of the voices was Jake and one of his thugs.

"Uh boss, are you sure that guy is going to stay in that room? I mean he's stronger than he looks, some of the boys even managed to spot him easily scale up to a roof." the thug said in a worried tone.

Jake huffed before lighting his cigar and taking a big smoke before answering "You idiot, unlike you he ain't stupid. That bub knows if he tries any funny business the kid gets it."

"But isn't that the mayor's son we'll be threatening?!" the thug exclaiming in shock.

The police chief was silent for a few moments till all of the sudden he burst into laughter. He kept laughing loudly, unaware of Herminia in the room next to him who was having to hold her hand over her ears in pain. Finally without warning he grabbed the thug by the collar of his shirt.

"And why am I supposed to be worried about that?" Jake yelled loudly, "Remember this, Clark Triton wouldn't even be mayor if it weren't for me so I don't care if I'm using his son for blackmail! Got it!"

The thug nodded his head rapidly, prompting the police chief to drop him to the floor. Without another word, the two walked away, leaving the hallway empty once more.  
Seeing that the coast was clear, Herminia pushed open the door completely and walked into the hallway. Wanting to waste no time the professor quickly dashed down the hall of the police station as fast as she could to avoid being caught, hoping that she can discover where Luke and Emmett were being held. The only sound echoing throughout the entire area was the sound of running and the brown-headed woman's breathing. After a few seconds she managed she managed to stumble upon a interrogation room.

Noticing that the window had partially open blinds, Herminia peeked in, suspecting Jake had placed her companions in there.  
Sure enough she was right, Luke was sitting in a chair with his legs curled up against his chest while Emmett kept constantly pounding the side of his fist against the wall in anger. The moment the two heard the door knob began turning they immediately directed their attention toward it, ready to glare down at whoever entered. But their glares immediately vanished when they saw the one who opened up the door was Herminia.

"Professor, you're alright!" Luke exclaimed before he ran over and hugged the brown-headed woman around her waist.

"Did that dirty scum of a officer do anything to hurt you?" Emmett asked with a hint of a snarl in his voice.

Despite her newly formed hatred for the masked-man, the professor still didn't want any of her companions to know about Descole taking her all because she felt a part of herself connected to him for an unknown reason. Over the many years she known Descole she could never figure why she felt she had a close connection ever since she first saw him.

 _"First the confusing emotion, and then the dreams and visions connected to events I feel like I should know yet I don't recall anything. Could Descole really be hiding more like I suspected?"_ she thought to herself.

She remained silent until she was awakened from her thoughts by Luke calling out her name due to her lack of silence.

The professor closed her eyes and shook her head before replying "No he did nothing, I woke up in a room and I managed to escape before finding you both.

Emmett raised a brow at this response, noticing that a few details were being left out. He knew at that moment that the professor before him knew something that he didn't but that left him with the question what that thing was and whether or not to report it to Bronev.  
Deciding that they wasted too much talking, the trio quickly made their way out of the police station without getting caught. Once outside all three of them took in a sigh of relief, glad they didn't have to worry too much anymore.

"By the way, professor, did you manage to get a good look at the specter before you disappeared?" Luke asked

"Indeed I did, Luke." she replied as she grabbed ahold the brim of her top hat and tipped it down in front of her eyes a bit, "And I just want to confirm one last thing before I finally reveal the secret behind our specter."

"Wait... secret. Professor, are you saying that this specter is just an elaborate trick?" Emmett asked both out of surprise and interest.

Herminia lifted up her hat and glance over at Emmett.  
She didn't know why but when she stared in his brown eyes she saw not only ambition but also strangely regret.

After a few moments of silence she said "All will be revealed in good time, Emmett."

Emmett nodded his head in understanding before asking what was the last thing Herminia wanted to confirm.  
The professor took in a deep sigh, a bit worried how Luke would react before revealing how she overheard Jake mention how Clark became mayor because of him and that it could possibly be connected to the fact that Clark was the only one to witness Mr. Barde's death and was the only name on the will.  
Luke nearly felt like his heart stopped; he knew his father was acting strange but the news his father was cooperating with a crooked cop with baffling. He was also horrified by the discovery of how his father became mayor. He knew that meant Mr. Barde's didn't commit sucicide, instead he was murdered by Chief Jakes.

Unable to think of anything to say Luke only managed to utter "Arianna."

Both Herminia and Emmett frowned with concern for Luke, having figured out the same thing.  
Just then without a word Emmett kneeled down and hugged Luke tightly.

The young boy was fixing to say something until Emmett said "Don't worry kid, he will pay for what he's done. I know what it feels like to have terrible people kill someone close to you."

Both Herminia and Luke was speechless by Emmett's confession; they couldn't believe the tough and partially hot-headed assistant had lost his parents to a similar group.  
Unaware away to anyone the professor raised her head to her chest and clutched the area of her sweater around her heart which was aching in pain. Images flashed through her mind of the little girl crying with the boy in the cupboard once more.

Finally deciding to break the silence Luke spoke up "I'm sorry for your loss, Emmett."

Emmett glanced down at Luke, smiling before ruffling his head, messing up his hair in the process.  
Herminia who had gotten over her pain smiled before gesturing with her arm for the two to follow her, telling them that they needed to go back to Clark's and finally get an idea of what secret he had been hiding ever since she arrived in Misthallery. Her companions nodded in agreement before they made their way to the Triton mansion, intending to shatter the last lock on the mystery of the specter.


	31. Specter's Flute

Chapter 31

Herminia remained silent as she and her companions stood in front of the door to Clark's home. Her brown eyes glanced down at Luke who was taking in slow and deep breaths to keep his mind calm and clear. A part of her felt proud that the young boy had followed her advice ever since that night the specter first appeared. Deciding to waste no more time Herminia knocked on the door. It only took a few moments for the door to open up to reveal Doland.  
The butler gasped in surprise when he saw the professor standing before him due to the fact he expected to not see her for the rest of the day.

"Professor Layton, why exactly are you here?" he asked in surprise.

"I've come to speak to Clark. There are some matters that need to be clarified." Herminia replied in a stern tone.

Doland narrowed his eyes as he stepped to the side, allowing the group inside the house.  
Of course this didn't go unnoticed by the professor. She didn't saw a word as her eyes glanced at the butler while she walked through the door. She could tell he was truly angered and surprised by appearance, meaning he hadn't expected to see her at all. She closed her eyes in thoughts as the clues begin to piece together in her mind, Doland wasn't who he claimed to be. No one dared to say a word as the group entered Clark Triton's office.  
Clark was looking over some paperwork until he heard his butler announce that Herminia and her companions had arrived. He lifted his head up and nearly gasped when he saw Luke standing next to the professor.

"Luke, were you with the professor all this time? I thought I told you not to leave your room!" Clark scolded in a slightly angry tone.

The young boy was about to shout a reply until the professor raised her arm in front of him to insure him that she would take care of it. Luke nodded his head in understanding before backing away where he stood next to Emmett.

"Clark, there's no need to be angry at Luke for wanting answers." Herminia stated in a stern tone, "He was very worried about what has been happening and wanted clarification. Honestly I don't blame him with how you chose to ignore the matter or rather should I say forced."

Clark clenched his teeth in fear before shouting "Layton, I don't..."

But he was interrupted by the brown-headed woman replying "I've seen the reports, Clark. I know about how you were the only one to witness Evan Barde's death and was the only heir to his fortune even though logically it should have gone to his children."

The dirty-blonde haired man's mouth dropped open before he tightly squeezed his eyes shut in fear. He knew there was no chance of hiding the truth from his old friend but he also knew if he chose to speak up he would indeed suffer the consequences. He wanted to do nothing more than to tell his son that every choice he has made was to protect him but because of circumstances he couldn't. He opened his eyes to she Herminia staring at him with her arms folded and her fingers tapping her arm, awaiting the answer. Clark finally took in a deep breath knowing that he had no choice but to confront the problem.

"I suppose it's time I got it off my chest." he replied in a slightly shaky tone, "I was there when Evan Bardes died. I was fishing that night and I saw a body fall off the cliff. I didn't even know it was Evan until I managed to reach where the body had landed. Other than that I saw nothing else."

"Then why was your name the only one on the will instead of the Barde children?" Emmett asked as her crossed his arms, " I don't see why a father would choose to provide a friend with riches rather than his own children."

"My you ask quite a lot of questions Mr. Altava." Doland said as he did his best to hide his angry snarl.

The assistant raised a brow of confusion upon noticing the tone of the butler's voice. It had confused him deeply why a person he barely knew harbored such a hatred toward him.

"Look I don't know why was on the will instead of the Barde children. All I know is I just happened to see Evan Barde fall off a cliff. That's it. There is nothing more, know if you would please kindly stop asking me about the subject, Layton." Clark snarled both in anger and worry.

Herminia chose to be silent as she examined her surroundings. It didn't take long to notice the dirty-blonde haired man would occasionally glance over at Doland in worry. She knew her friend would have no reason to do this unless the butler was using blackmail against Clark to insure he remained silent. While apart of her wanted to reveal this to her companions, she knew that if she revealed this knowledge too early that Clark would suffer the consquenses. Herminia wanted to expose the truth but she had to bide her time and wait for the opportune moment.

Taking in a deep breath she finally replied "That's all I asked for, Clark. Thank you for your help."

Clark clenched his teeth as he watched the professor begin to leave the room. He couldn't bare to keep hiding the truth from her. While he knew he couldn't tell her what was happening, he did knew that if he gave her a nudge in the right direction she would solve it for herself just like a puzzle. His brown eyes glanced over to his son to see him staring at him with disappointment. Clark swallowed a lump in his neck as he rubbed his hands nervously together at what he was about to do. He knew it was the right thing to do, he just hoped it wouldn't put Luke in more danger than he already is in.

Gathering up his courage Clark spoke up "Wait, Layton, there is a favor I want to ask of you."

Herminia instantly stopped in her tracks, surprised by this statement before turning around to face her friend.

"I would like you to go down to the cellar and select some wine." the dirty-blonde headed man continued, "I know you're quite the wine expert and I would like your opinion."

Both Herminia's and Doland's eyes widened in shock and surprise.  
The professor was at first confused by her friend's request since he knew she was more of a tea person and she stayed away from wine at all costs ever since her last encounter with the alcoholic drink. But her confusion quickly disappeared when the butler argued about he should be the one to go to the cellar only for Clark to continue insisting that Herminia have a look. It immediately clicked in her mind that Clark was trying to give her a hint without giving the outright answer to her little puzzle. With a small smile she nodded her head and agreed to go with Clark and Emmett to select a wine.

Clark smiled in relief as his friend left the room, glad that soon he would no longer have any secrets to hide.  
Luke scratched his head in confusion as he traveled down to the cellar with the professor and her assistant. From the stories his parents told him about Herminia, not once had they ever heard them refer to her as a wine enthusiast. The young boy was annoyed that the only sound that surrounded him at that moment was the sound of the creaking wood of the stairs as they entered the cellar room. He wished that anyone would speak up to break the silence.

Finally his hopes were answered when Emmett commented "Professor, I didn't know you liked wine."

"I don't." Herminia replied in a stern tone, "And Clark knew that as well. There is something down here he wanted us to see other than wine."

But before anyone could say anything Doland called out "Is everything alright done there?"

The professor closed her eyes and firmly crossed her arms before calling out how everything was fine. With Doland snooping around she knew there was no possible way to search for what Clark wanted them to find. She would have to send someone back to search when the butler wasn't around. With her mind set she called out how Clark was mistaken about her and that she would be leaving.  
Luke was a little upset and disappointed that the professor didn't want to continue searching the cellar but he had a feeling that she had her reasons and that everything would be revealed in good time. Without another word the group left the house, now carrying a little more knowledge to the mystery.

"So what do we do now, Professor?" Luke asked.

"I think it's about time I showed both of you what our specter actually is." Herminia replied as she continued walking.

"Wait so you did get a good look at the specter before you disappeared?" the young boy asked, his voice filling in excitement and happiness.

The professor nodded her head before leading her companions. It wasn't long till they reached their destination which was none other than the Barde's mansion. A small victorious grin formed on the brown-headed woman's face when the faint sound of a flute's music filled the air.  
Emmett was stunned at the origin of the flute's music; he hadn't expected the specter's flute originated from the Barde's mansion.

 _"That means those kids had to come into contact something from the Azran if they actually found a flute from the ancient civilization."_ he thought to himself, _"I could report this to Uncle Leon, but then what would happen to those kids? Would he take him or..."_

Emmett squeezed his eyes shut and his heart pounded in fear at the memory of seeing Descole crying out in anguish as he cradled the lifeless body of his wife that had been shot by Bronev and the little girl's horrified expression when Bronev told him to kill her. While part of his conscious was relieved at the fact Nora was able to get away safely he was still haunted by the scene he discovered that day. His eyes snapped open when he felt Luke tap him on the arm.

"Emmett, are you alright? You look even more scared than when you thought that spider was on your shoulder." the young boy asked out of concern.

The assistant took in a few deep breaths before lying "Yeah, I'm fine. Just short of breath, that's all."

The group followed the sound of flute's music quickly but not too hastily. Within a few minutes the music led them to a lake and there sitting peacefully on the lakeside was Arianna playing a tan colored ocarina. The ginger-haired girl carefully played each note with precision and elegance as her legs dangled off of the edge of the docks she was sitting on, surrounded by nothing but an aura of blissfulness.

Due to being so shocked at the identity of the flute player, Luke was unable to prevent himself from exclaiming "Arianna?!"

The young girl immediately stopped playing as she gasped in shock and fear. She stood up and spun around to face the trio standing behind her. She clenched her teeth and tightly clutched her ocarina against her chest.

"Luke, I told you not to come here anymore! I'm nothing but a witch that brings tragedy!" she shouted.

Luke was about to speak up in reply but much to his surprise Herminia said "Arianna, there's no need to be frightened. I've seen the specter."

Arianna's heart nearly stopped when she heard the professor utter these words. No one had ever approached her with the claim that they had seen the specter before. Normally she would hear that all the people would flee the area the moment they heard news that the specter would appear that night. The young girl said nothing as her eyes glanced cautiously at the professor before her.

"I understand you're too frightened to reach out, Arianna. But sometimes you must have faith that others will be there for you and we are here for you. All I ask Arianna is for you to let us help you. Only you can help free this town from the fear of the false specter." Herminia stated.

Luke's mouth opened in amazement at the brown-headed woman's words. Ever since the professor arrived in Misthallery he had seen how wise, stern, and kind she was even in the bleakest of times. It made the young boy wonder if the woman before him became that was because she herself had experienced much turmoil and learned to endure it. He wasn't sure what made the professor the way she was but he knew one thing for sure, that he wanted to strive to be a good gentlemen with qualities like her.

Arianna was stunned by the professor's words. For the first time since her father's death, an adult was willing to reach out to her to help her. She glanced down at the ocarina in her hands, wondering if she should reveal to them the true specter. After a few moments of thoughts the ginger-haired girl nodded her head in understanding. For the first time since her father's death, she was allowing people back into her life.  
The silence filling the air was broken by the sound of her brother Tony shouting.  
Tony clenched his hands tightly into fists as he took a defensive stance in front of his sister.

"I thought I told you all to leave my sister alone!" he shouted.

Herminia squeezed her eyes shut when the memory of the cupboard flashed through her mind once more. She didn't know why the two siblings before her kept triggering a vision that she felt like she's supposed to know.  
Tony remained in his stance until he felt his sister gently lay her hand on his arm on push it down.

"It's alright, Tony, they're here to help. I'm going to show them Loosha." Arianna insured.

"But, Arianna, we promised not to show anyone Loosha!" Tony exclaimed in horror.

The ginger-haired girl laid her hand on her brother's shoulder with a small smile on her face before replying "I trust them."

Her brother was speechless, unable to think up any words until finally he lowered his head in defeat.  
With no more objections Arianna walked up to the lake's edge, took in a deep breath, and began playing her flute. As the calming music filled the air, the lake's water began to shake and ripple. The water roared as huge waves crashed against the wooden docks causing the boats ties to it to smash against each other. Finally a huge wave blasted upward to the sky, frightening Luke and causing him to cling onto the professor's waist. When the waves lowered, Herminia and Emmett nearly stooped breathing when before them was a large aqua colored manatee.

"Everyone meet Loosha!" Arianna proclaimed.

Loosha squealed happily as she splashed her fins in the lake water.

"I indeed saw the shape of an animal that night but because it was so dark I wasn't able to see it was a large manatee." the professor commented.

"This has to be an ancient creature from the Azran civilization. She could be the last of her kind." Emmett stated in amazement.

"So the Specter is actually Loosha?" Luka asked partly out of confusion.

Arianna shook her head before explaining that every night the large manatee would leave the lake to fight a mysterious creature that only attacks the town at night. Fearing the too many people would get hurt in the battle, the young girl would start playing her ocarina to calm Loosha down and guide her back to the lake. Luke yelled out in realization when he remembered how there were drain pipes around the town and the reason it sounded like the music was coming from all directions was because of the sounds echoing throughout the pipe system.

"Well, Luke, I was about to explain that myself, but I'm glad you figured it at as well." Herminia stated with a smile.

Luke grinned proudly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But that leaves the question, what is Loosha fighting at night?" Emmett said.

Arianna opened her mouth to reply but didn't get the chance to speak when all the sudden gunfire filled the air.  
A large net zoomed through the sky and landed on Loosha. The giant manatee whined in horror as she struggled to get free of the net only for even more nets to land on her.

"Looks like I got both the town specter and the witch controlling it!" a gruffly voice laughed.

Emmett snarled upon recognizing the voice and yelled "It's that scum Third-Eye Jake!"

Jake laughed as he and his men emerged from the bushes, armed with guns.

"That's right Altava and we're here for the specter and the witch and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me." he said with a dark smirk.

Before anyone, the group was seized by the thugs surrounding them.  
Herminia clenched her teeth in anger as she watched Arianna scream and cry out as she was ripped away from her brother's grasp by one of Jake's thugs. She knew the young girl would not do well in a prison cell, if anything that would shorten her lifespan due to her condition. She struggled to get free of the thugs that had ahold of her but no matter how much she struggled, the thug still kept a tight grip on her.

The police chief grinned as he took in a big inhale of his cigar as he walked up to the professor.

"Heh you're lucky, Layton. Because of these new foreseen events I no longer have any interest in arresting you. But I still want you out of town very soon. You may have escaped my police station the first time but the next time I'll keep you and your pals locked up where no one will ever hear from ya again." he said as he blew out some smoke.

Herminia cringed from the scent of the cigar but that didn't stop her from replying "You're truly mistaken if you think your threats have any effect on me. No matter what I will expose the secret you hide."

Jake laughed loudly before saying "I would like to see you try. Well I'm letting you and your pals go for now. But do anything and the girl gets it."

Emmett snarled in anger as he resisted the urge to punch the corrupted police officer since he knew that would only make things worse.  
The professor glared at the thugs carrying away Arianna while her little brother kept begging for them to let her go. She hated to see the sight of the two siblings being separated from each other. Especially since deep down she knew the feeling of separation but didn't know why she was familiar with it. Unable to do anything, the group watched as Jake and his thugs disappeared in the distance with Arianna and Loosha.  
Once they were gone, Tony fell on his hands and knees as he pounded his fists against the soggy grass.

"It's my fault! If I had never painted those symbols, people wouldn't think Arianna was a witch!" he sobbed.

"Wait, you were the one painting the witch's symbol?!" Luke exclaimed in shock in anger.

"I just want everyone to stop saying bad things about Arianna so I thought scaring them would work." Tony replied as he sniffed his nose that had become stuffy.

"Well you can make it up to Arianna and us?" Herminia stated much to everyone's surprise.

The professor kneeled down next to the ginger-haired boy and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket before handing it to him, telling him that she needed him to deliver a message to the Black Ravens and he had to get there as quickly as possibly.  
Tony nodded his head both in understanding and determination before quickly scampering back on his feet and taking off.

"So, what shall we do, professor?" Emmett asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm, tell me, Luke, is there a factory in Misthallery?" Herminia replied as she stood back up.

"Yes, there is one, professor. It's in the east district!" Luke proclaimed.

The brown headed woman grabbed firmly ahold of the brim of her top hat, tilting it down a bit. Her eyes were full of determination to save Arianna and Loosha and she knew she had to do that by revealing the real specter. And with part of the specter answer revealed to her, there was only the final piece of the puzzle to put in place to reveal the whole story behind the specter.

Finally she spoke up in a stern tone "Then that's where we shall go."


	32. The Golden Garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite longer than the usual chapter length simply because I wanted to wrap this arc up.

Chapter 32

Luke panted as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. With Arianna's life on the line he knew time was of the essence. His brown eyes glanced over at Emmett and Herminia who were running beside him. Neither had said a word but he could see the determination in their eyes to put to rest the spirit of the specter. It wasn't long till the trio finally found themselves standing before the gates leading to a dark factory.  
Despite the fact the factory was supposed to be shut down, Herminia was easily able to notice black smoke billowing up from the chimneys, indicating that someone was in there running machinery.

"So how are we going to get in there?" Luke asked.

Emmett folded his arms across his chest in thought before suggesting "I could try climbing over the gate and see if I could kick the gate open from the other side."

Herminia gently shook her head as she explained "The chains are too thick and are quite new. Who ever is running this factory didn't want anyone to get in by any means."

Luke remained silent in thought as his brown eyes roamed around his surroundings. He learned from watching the professor that picking up on the littlest of clues could lead to a bigger discovery. He kept searching until he managed to spot a small stream of water leaking out from underneath a bridge. Without any hesitation he walked over to the bridge to discover a large drain pipe that lead to the inside of the factory. Happy that he found an entrance, the young boy immediately called out to the professor and her assistant. The two adults walked over to Luke the moment they heard him call for him and were surprised when they saw the large drain pipe before them.

"I think this drain pipe is big enough for all of us to fit, Professor!" Luke proclaimed, "With this we can get inside and find the evidence to save Arianna!"

Herminia smiled gently and nodded her head in agreement; over the many hours she had spent with Luke she couldn't help but feel more and more bright of the young boy's bright mind. Without a word the trio crouched down into the large drain pipe and entered. Once inside, the group actually had a little trouble seeing due to how dark the inside of the drain pipe was. There was even of few times which an embarrassed Herminia apologized to Emmett for accidently bumping him down in the water on accident. But after a few minutes the trio had made it to the other side.

Emmett shook the water from his shaggy hair as he took note of how the dark smoke coming from the chimneys made the sky around the factory look dark and gloomy. The brown-headed man clenched his fist slightly when it dawned on him that the scene reminded him of his old home otherwise known as targent headquarters. He never did like the skies that constantly hung over the Nest, in fact when Bronev first sent him away on scout missions, he was thrilled to see the blue sky that he had almost forgotten about. Seeing the blue sky over him is one of the few things that Emmett considers as a reminder that he's doing the right thing.

The assistant snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Herminia said "Alright let's not waste tie standing around. We need to save both Arianna and Loosha."

Both Emmett and Luke nodded in agreement before the three of them dashed over to one of the factory doors. Fortunately for the group, unlike the gate the door was actually unlocked and they were able to sneak inside. Herminia silently closed the door behind her as she saw she and her companions were greeted with the sight of large cranes, chains, scrapped metal, blazing fire pits, conveyor belts, and loud machinery being operated. The professor wasn't surprised to see the robotic parts being constructed by the mechanics. Once she partly saw the silhouette of machinery when she had encountered the mysterious specter, she knew there had to be a factory nearby constructing a machine which is why she asked Luke if there was one nearby.

But before anyone could even take a step, they were spotted by some large muscled thugs.

"Hey, youse guys aren't suppose to be in here! Let's get em!" one thug shouted.

Much to Herminia's surprise, she saw Emmett smirk as he calmly walked in front of her and Luke.

Emmett turned toward the professor and with a wink he said "Don't worry, Professor. I'll take care of these bozos."

With that said Emmett turned back toward the thugs and charged toward them. The first thug tried to punch the brown-headed man, but the assistant fortunately was able to duck under the attack and deliver a swift punch to his opponent's stomach. While the thug groaned out loudly in pain, Emmett wasted no time kicking the thug's back and knocking him to the ground. Confident shined in the assistant's brown eyes when he saw three more thugs come after him, but none of them were able to lay a single attack on him due to all of his extensive training as a targent agent. Isn't long till finally the last thug fell with a groan before Emmett's feet. The brown-headed man hummed in satisfaction before walking around the pile of bodies that lay before him and headed toward his companions.

Luke's mouth hung open at the scene he witnessed. He knew that Emmett always claimed he would fight anyone that threatened them but he never imagined that the man had that much skill in fisticuffs. This caused the young boy to wonder how much fighting Emmett had down in the past because by the looks of it he figured that Emmett might had been in fights for most of his life.

"Well while I don't approve of such a violent resolution, I must admit that your skills were quite outstanding." Herminia commented.

Emmett grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck and replied "I'm pretty good when it comes to hand to hand combat, but I only use it unless it's absolutely necessary."

The professor nodded in understanding before guiding her companions deeper into the factory. As they continued traveling the dark rooms of the factory warehouse, they noticed how many steam cars were left to rot despite the fact the factory was being used quite frequently.  
Luke grew more worried by the second as his eyes wandered about, leaving him to wonder if his father had knowledge about it and had not told him. The young boy couldn't understand why his father chose to be so secretive about the events surrounding the specter, all he hoped for was that he would finally get the answers he longed for. Luke snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the professor had led them to a large red door.

Herminia placed her hand on her chin as she examined the scene before her. She had much faith that the true specter was hidden behind it but she needed to figure out how to get the door open. Her eyes glanced up at the small sign above the large red metal door that read "One x Three x Five." The brown headed women closed her eyes as she began to search for a solution to her little puzzle. She recalled as she and her companions made their way through the factory, there was levers scattered about and each one had a different number label on it. Just then her eyes snapped open as a confident grin formed on her face; she had found the answer to her puzzle.

"Emmett, I need you to run back and pull the levers that have the numbers one, three, and five labeled on them." Herminia commanded.

"Sure thing, professor!" Emmett replied before quickly taking off.

The assistant ran as quickly as he could, pulling each of the levers that had the labels he was looking for on them. As he did this, three red lights turned on above the metal door. Finally a loud beep echoed throughout the factory and the metal door began to slowly open up. Emmett managed to ran back just into to see the door completely open and release a large cloud of team. The brown-headed man coughed a bit as he waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the smoke away. Once the air cleared both his and Luke's eyes widened at what lay before them. Behind the door was a large black robot with four legs and two arms with gigantic claws attached to them.

"Professor, what is that thing?" Luke asked out of disbelief, finding it so hard that something so large was hidden in the factory the entire time.

Herminia's face remained stern as her eyes remained focused on the machine before her. She didn't even have to guess to know Descole was the one that had the robot built and she knew his reason for doing so was to find the Azran's Golden Garden, the very thing that he threatened her well being for. Though while she figured this out, the brown-headed woman wasn't able to come up with a reason for why the man would be willing to go so far if it was just for simple greed. But she immediately pushed her curiosity to the back of her mind, believing she had to finish her current puzzle before moving onto a new one.

Without looking at Luke, Herminia replied "That there, Luke, is the infamous Specter."

"Wait, that thing is the Specter?!" Emmett exclaimed out of shock.

Herminia silently nodded her head before saying "I'll explain everything soon, but for now I have a favor to ask of you, Emmett. I need you to go back to Clark's home and search the wine cellar. If my hunch is correct Doland won't be present meaning you can search undisturbed."

The assistant nodded his head in understanding before taking off once more. He could tell the mystery of the specter was coming to a close and he was one step closer to revealing the location of the Golden Garden to Targent.

Once Emmett was gone, Herminia turned to Luke and asked "Luke, do you think you can operate this machine?"

The young boy glanced at the machine before answering "I think so. Hopefully it'll have similar controls like my toy train set."

The professor was happy to hear this before she explained how she need Luke to pilot the machine to the Center Plaza and she would head there before him to buy him some time.  
With the plan set, the professor ran out of the warehouse as fast as she could, hoping she would make it time to prevent Arianna from going to prison. When she reached the Center plaza, the brow headed woman was relieved when she saw the young girl was still there.  
Arianna was frowning with her arms tied behind her back; her eyes occasionally glanced at Loosha to see the large manatee wasn't fairing well either. She was trying to block out the speech from Jakes who was gloating to the townspeople how he single handedly captured the one responsible for summoning the specter.

Herminia narrowed her eyes with a small bit of rage building up inside of her. The one thing she couldn't stand was when a lie about an event was told, something she hated ever since the explosion that took her husband from her. Without a word the professor made her way through the crowd, gently pushing people aside so that she could have a clear walk way.

"So with the witch captured, you people will no longer have to fear the specter." Jakes finished his speech with a smug grin.

But his smile immediately disappeared when he heard a familiar voice say "And that would be true if it weren't for the fact you're lying."

The police chief snarled as he spotted the professor standing in the front of the crowd with her eyes burning with determination. He hated that no matter what he tried, he was never able to run the brown-headed woman out of town. No matter what tactic he used, nothing seemed to steer the woman away from finding the truth.

Inspector Grosky who was standing with the crowd at time exclaimed "Layton?! I thought you were gone. Chief Jakes had told me that you gave up on the case and returned to London."

Herminia couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this and said "I'm sure he did, Inspector Grosky, but remember that I'm not one to give up a good puzzle."

Once those words left her mouth, she turned her attention to the towns people and began explaining to them about how they had been deceived. She explained how Loosha was protecting everyone from the real specter and told them the real reason why the supposed witch's mark appeared all over town. She even revealed how Clark Triton had only become mayor thanks to Jakes' doing.  
Arianna gasped in horror upon hearing this, she believed that it meant in rreality her father was murdered by the very same man that was trying to throw her behind bars for a crime she did not commit.

"I didn't kill him! Barde's death was an accident, but I will admit that I altered the will since I can't hide it anymore. Though even if I did alter the will, you still have no proof that this thing isn't the specter!" Jakes shouted.

At that moment a large metal foot smashed down on the ground, causing a rumble to erupt through the streets. Everyone immediately turned around and froze in shock at what they saw, there approaching them slowly was none other then Luke operating the drilling robot.  
The young boy clenched his teeth as he frantically pulled different levers in an attempt to make the robot walk properly. His brown eyes glanced to see that among the crowd was none other than his father who was also shocked by the robot's existence. Upon seeing this, the young boy let out a sigh of relief before pulling the final level to make the robot come to a complete heart. It made him a little glad that his father wasn't completely aware of the scheme happening right underneath his nose.

Once the robot was in front of the crowd, Herminia gestured out her arm and proclaimed "Behold, the true specter of Misthallery! The very thing Loosha was protecting you from!"

The townspeople whispered amongst themselves in surprise and confusion, finding it hard to believe that a drilling robot had been prowling the town at night the entire time.

"This machine was used to search for the lost Azran treasure known as the Golden Garden!" the professor explained with a hint of anger in her voice, "They used the specter as an excuse to hide their operations. Now you may all think Jakes planned this all but in truth he was only a pawn."

When Jakes heard this his heart nearly stopped out of fear; he couldn't believe the professor before him had stayed true to his word and managed to figure out his secret. He only hoped the the brown-headed woman hadn't figured out who his boss was but he knew with how clever the professor was that his chances were slim.  
Herminia took in a deep breath to ease her nerves for what she was about to do next. She let no of her emotions break through as she immediately jerked out her index finger and pointed it toward Doland.

"You're the true culprit! I would call you Mr. Doland except we both know that's not really who you are." the brown-headed woman said.

The accused culprit blinked his eyes in shock for a few seconds before finally releasing a dark chuckle. He knew the professor had already caught on and there was no need to continue his little game of pretend. Without any seconds thoughts, he removed his disguise to reveal himself as none other than Descole. The masked man couldn't help but admire his sister's deduction skills; he had truly underestimated on how keen her puzzle solving skills had grown over the years, making him a little thankful that he had pushed her away through hatred to insure she didn't learn of his true identity.

"Ah congratulations, Layton, you saw through my disguise. I'm quite impressed." Descole smirked as he slowly clapped his hands together, "Your wits never cease to amaze me."

Luke lifted a brow in confusion when he heard the mask man say this; to him the sentence seemed to imply that Herminia had met him before. He looked up toward the professor to see her face remain stern as her brown eyes glared at the masked man before her. While Luke still wasn't able to figure out if Herminia knew Descole or not, he knew for sure that the brown-headed woman seemed to harbor a bit of hatred toward the masked man. The young boy was immediately awakened from his thoughts when it dawned on him that Descole had been posing as his butler the entire time and he never noticed that the real one was gone.

"Professor, how did you figure that wasn't the real Doland?" Luke asked out of curiosity.

"It was quite simple, Luke." Herminia began as she grasped the brim of her top hat, "When you showed me your recordings for the predictions of where the specter would appear, I noticed that they weren't always correct, yet the area of the town was always evacuated, meaning that your fake Doland had to have known where the specter was going to be each night."

Luke was about to ask the follow-up question about where the real butler was until he heard a voice call out his name. He turned toward to the left and nearly stopped breathing at what he saw. There standing by Emmett wasn't just only the real butler but also his mother Brenda. His eyes brimmed with tears as he ran over to her and hugged her tightly around the waist, sobbing about how she thought she was gone forever.

"Professor, you were right." Emmett said with his hand on his hip, "I searched the wine cellar and I found a hidden door in the floor boards. When I opened it up I discovered these two had been locked up in there for days. They were being held for ransom so that Clark would stay quiet about the search for the Golden Garden."

"Well it seems you had all of your bases covered, Layton." Descole commented, prompting Emmett to direct his attention toward him.

The assistant's eyes widened in both confusion and shock. He was certainly shocked to see the masked man that he fought against as a teenager, answering his lingering question about why he received the glares when he was disguised as Doland. But what confused him were two, he recalled that when he fought Descole that the masked man was protecting Herminia for unknown reasons and now he mysteriously sees her as another opponent. The other thing that confused him was that deep down he felt that Descole's hatred for him went deeper than their first encounter but he didn't know what it could possible be. Despite this, the brown-headed man decided to push all those thoughts to the back of his mind, reminding himself what his goal is and whether Descole was on Herminia's side or not, he was still in Targent's way.

"But I think you never accounted for this." the masked man smirked.

Without warning he jumped into the robot Luke had driven and pressed a button. In that instant many more digging robots began approaching the Square Center. The townspeople immediately began to scream in panic as the robots smashed houses in their paths, causing rubble to fall in the streets below. Deciding to take immediate action, Grosky ran toward the exit and started shouting for people to head for their. As the robots continued approaching, one of them sent of ginat piece of concrete falling toward Arianna and Jakes.

The corrupted police chief panicked upon seeing this and immediately shoved the young girl to the ground. But when he tried to make a run for it, one the robots hit him knocking him into a trash can.  
Arianna cried out in fear when she saw the rubble but with her arms tied behind her back, she wasn't able to get away.  
Luke noticed this immediately and without any hesitation he immediately made a mad dash for the young girl. With seconds to spare he managed to grab the young girl's body and cause them both to tumble out of the way of the falling rumble.

Meanwhile with Descole the robot he was in managed to form together to form a giant one. The masked man smiled menacingly as he started pulling the different levers, making the robot smash up the buildings and streets. He intended to find the Golden Garden before targent even if he had to tear up the entire town to do so. The giant robot smashed and crumbled grounds, creating much chaos and destruction.  
Luke frantically tried to untie the ropes binding Arianna's arms together but the crashing rubble surrounding them caused them to scream out.

Upon hear the young girl's cries, Loosha whined as she began pushing against the net that covered her body. The large manatee pushed and pushed until finally the small ropes holding the net together snapped, freeing her. Loosha cried out as she tried toward the giant robot and smashed into the side of it.  
Descole snarled in anger before commanded the robot to punch the manatee. He felt little sympathy toward the creature, having lost most of it from the loss of his wife and daughter.

"Oh no! Loosha!" Arianna shouted in worry.

Herminia clenched her fist in an attempt to keep herself calm; she knew letting her emotions get the best of her would do nothing to help solve the puzzle.

"Emmett, go help Luke and Arianna get to safety!" the professor said.

"And what will you do, professor?" the assistant asked.

"Provide a distraction." she immediately replied.

Without saying anything else the brown-headed woman took off before her companion could even stop her. She ran up near the robot and shouted to Descole how she should be the threat to focus on since she could easily track down the location of Golden Garden.  
Descole clenched his teeth both out of regret and anger; he didn't want to keep up the hateful act toward his own flesh and blood but it enraged him that he had to resort to such tactics to try to insure she doesn't get involved. In order to keep up the distant charade, the masked man purposely commanded his robot to smash one of its arms near Herminia to make it look like an attack but not close enough to hit her.

The professor held onto her top out as she rolled out of the way of the attack; she already had her mind convinced that Descole only wanted her gone but she still couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't completely the case.  
After some effort, Luke managed to finally untie the ropes around. When he looked around, he managed to spot the young girl's brother calling them over to the safety of an alley way. Wanting his friend to be safe, Luke immediately grabbed Arianna by the arm and lead her over to the alley.  
Once there Tony cried out in relief as he tightly hugged his sister. But their reunion was cut short by Emmet running up to them with a worried expression plastered on her face.

"Where's the professor?" Luke asked out of concern.

"She went to face that mad man alone. I know she told me to get you guys to safety but I have to go back and help her!" Emmett replied.

The dirty-blonde haired boy was speechless when he heard this; he couldn't believe that the professor was willing to endanger her own well being just to insure that he would be safe. He knew he couldn't stand there and do nothing so he decided that he would go help her as well. Much to his placement, Emmett didn't argue with him and actually agreed to the idea. With their minds set the two mind ran out of the alleyway and toward the robot monstrosity that Descole controlled.

"Alright here's the plan, kid! While you help Loosha with the distraction, I'm going to disable the legs to make the robot stop moving." Emmett said.

The young boy nodded in understanding before dashing over to the large manatee and climbing onto her back. In order to get Descole's attention he shouted out before having Loosha smash on of the robot arms.  
Herminia was stunned when she saw Luke putting himself in danger but she was even more stunned when she saw her assistant run past her and toward the robot's legs. While a part of her was a little mad that both of her companions went against orders and didn't seek out safety, another part of her felt happy and proud that her companions cared for her so much that they weren't willing to let her fight a battle alone. Figuring that standing around wouldn't help, Herminia quickly ran to the top of the hill where the dam was. There she was greeted with the sight of Crow and his gang standing next to a complete catapult.

"Good work children, you managed to get this done in just the nick of time." Herminia complimented with a smile.

"Yeah we started building it as soon as we got your note from Tony." Crow replied with a proud grin.

The professor nodded in understanding before directing her attention to the scene at the bottom of the hill. There she saw that Luke and Loosha had successfully distracted Descole, allowing Emmett to sabotage the legs by cutting wires and pushing buttons. When she saw the masked man wasn't able to make the robots legs move due to the sabotage, she immediately took the opportunity to grab the catapult's rope. Herminia clenched her teeth as she pulled on the rope hard, resulting the rocks in the basket to be launched from it and smash against the giant robot, breaking it apart. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Luke slide off of Loosha's back and run over to her along with Emmett. But her smile quickly vanished when she saw the robots start moving; at that moment she knew the battle was far from over.

Descole grunted as he made the digging robots form the giant robot once again. He was growing annoyed at how much of a chore it was becoming to simply get his sister out of the picture. It seemed no matter what obstacle he had thrown in her path she was always able to use her wits to overcome it. His hand tightly grasped one of the levers as he made the robot pick up a large piece of rubble and throw it at the catapult. He was relieved when he saw Herminia and her companions ran away immediately as soon as he threw it. While he did want his sister gone, he didn't want to resort to hurting or killing her since a part of him still cared for her. In order to keep up the threatening appearance Descole made the robot chase after them.

Loosha narrowed her eyes when she saw the robot perusing her friends; she wanted to protect them. The large manatee directed her attention toward the large dam at the top of the hill. Without any seconds thoughts she made her way to the top of the hill and began smashing her injured body against the wall.  
Crow stared in confusion along with his two companions at the large manatee's actions until it dawned on him what she was trying to do.

"Come on! We got to help break the dam!" he exclaimed.

"But what would that do?" one of the boys asked.

"Save the town of course!" Crow replied before taking off.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged before following their leader.  
The dam walls creaked and cracked from the onslaught of the large manatee and the three boys. It wasn't long till finally the wooden boards shattered and the water burst out. Fortunately the trio of boys managed to get to higher ground before the water could wash them away.  
Herminia, Emmett, and Luke were still running from Descole's giant robot until they heard the sound of rushing water headed straight toward them. Thinking fast they managed to quickly run into a building with the door left open.

Descole yelled out in rage as the water washed over the giant robot, causing the machinery to short out and collapse on the ground. He pulled out the different levers, trying desperately to get the robot running again, but nothing worked. With a frustrated grunt he slowly climbed out of the robot, planning to leave the scene before someone tries to apprehend him. But before he did, he glanced down to see his little sister glaring up at him. He could see the hatred burning in her eyes and he wanted it to stay that way as long as she remained safe.

With a smirk he taunted "Well, Layton, it seems you have won this time, but I insure you that next time things will be different. Defeating you will be quite delicious."

Herminia said nothing as she watched the masked man turned around immediately causing his cape to flutter out before he took off running out of sight. The brown-headed woman couldn't help but release a small tired sigh; she knew that despite choosing to flee that Descole would encounter her again soon like he always has in the past. But had her mind set that she would be ready to fight against the masked man once more.

"Well glad that's over." Emmett commented as he stretched out his arms.

But just then the silence was interrupted by Loosha slamming her body into the dam once again.

"Loosha, what are you doing?!" Arianna exclaimed, confused and worried why the large manatee was still trying to break the dam down.

In an attempt to calm the creature down, Arianna quickly got out her ocarina and began playing the song. But much to her shock and horror, the flute did not stop Loosha's onslaught of the dam.

"I don't..." Arianna started to mutter before clenching her hands tightly around the ocarina and screaming, "Loosha, please stop! You're only hurting yourself worse!"

But the young girl's cries fell upon deaf ears as the manatee continued her smashing, creating large cracks in the dam walls.  
Seeing that the huge creature refused to stop, Herminia quickly commanded everyone to get to higher ground. Everyone ran to the top of the hill just in the nick of time because Loosha finally managed to bust a giant hole in the dam, causing the streets to be flooded.  
Arianna clung tightly onto her little brother's shoulder, both of them confused by the manatee's actions. They watcher as Loosha slowly and weakly crawled through the hole she made, crying out as she did so.

"Professor, Loosha wants us to follow her! She says there no time to explain!" Luke stated in surprise at this discovery.

Deciding to follow the manatee's advice, the group followed the creature through the hole and over to a large gold lid with carvings of a garden on it.  
Herminia felt like she could barely breathe as she kneeled down to the lid; she recognized the object as none other than the entrance to the Golden Garden, the very thing Descole was searching for and failed to find. The professor couldn't stop her heart racing from the realization that for the second time in her life she was so close to an Azran site. Silently she ran her hand over the lid, examining the different carvings, taking notice that it was a puzzle. It only took her a few seconds to solve the puzzle, causing the lid to open up. But upon doing this, the wave of dread that she hadn't felt in many years washed over her, leaving her feeling like she had just opened Pandora's box.

Loosha weakly whined as she struggled to slip her injured body inside with the others following behind. Once inside everyone was greeted with the sight of a beautiful garden with a lake at the certain of it.

"I can't believe it! We're actually in the Azran's Golden Garden!" Emmett said in a breathless tone as he immediately pulled out his camera and started taking pictures.

Arianna was amazed by the sight, until she saw Loosha collapse next to the lake with her eyes starting to droop. The young girl cried out in worry and dashed over to the large manatee, knowing that it was starting to succumb to its injuries. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she rubbed Loosha's head, begging her not to die.

"I think I know why Loosha brought you here." Herminia started in a gentle tone as she rested her hand on the girl's shoulder, "With the air so clean and untouched here, it can actually heal you and cure you of your once fatal illness. Loosha brought you here to save your life."

The ginger-haired girl sobbed even louder as she rest her head against the manatee's, realizing that her friend chose to give up the last of her life so she may live on. Unable to think of anything else to say, Arianna whispered out a quiet thank you before watching the manatee close her eyes and release her last breath. The young girl frantically rubbed the sleeve of her dress across her eyes as the professor gently had her step backwards, allowing Loosha's lifeless body to slip beneath the lake's waters.  
Tears were streaking down Tony's face as well as he walked over to his sister and hugged her tightly. They both cared for Loosha and considered her a friend but now their friend was gone forever.

"Hey, professor, I think we should alright the papers about this place, People will be amazed that you discovered it!" Emmett pointed out as he finished taking the last of his pictures.

But much to his surprise Herminia gently shook her head an replied in a stern tone, "I think we'll wait a few months before doing that, Emmett. Arianna needs this place for herself for a few months to heal and news of this place will only make it crowded. I saw for now we keep the Golden Garden a secret."

The brown-headed man didn't say a word as he glanced down at the two siblings trying to comfort themselves. The memory of Descole's daughter Nora sobbing instantly flashed through his mind. He shuddered at the thought of what targent would do to the two children who refused to abandon their friend's parting gift and as much he hated to admit it, he knew Bronev wasn't afraid to take the lives of those who wouldn't cooperate. His free hand tightly clenched into a fist as he found himself conflicted on whether on not to remain loyal to the man he considered his father or show mercy once again like he did for Nora. It only took him a few seconds to finally a decision.

 _"Sorry Uncle Leon, looks like you'll have to wait to claim this place. For now the Golden Garden belongs to these two kids."_ Emmett thought to himself as he put up his camera, deciding to respect Loosha's dying wish.

Luke frowned as his brown eyes focused on the professor before him. He knew with the mystery of the Misthallery specter solved, that the professor would be returning back to her home in London. But he didn't want her to leave; he wanted her to stay in his life and continue teaching him about puzzles, ancient mysterious, and what it means to be a true gentlemen.

Without even thinking the boy shouted out "Take me back to London with you, Professor!"

Herminia immediately turned around with a stunned expression on her face; she couldn't believe the young boy was wanting to go back with her. When she thought about all that Luke had done, she had to admit she was impressed with him and with him under her wing she could teach him even more. She also recalled how she found herself loving the time she had spent with him and when it came down to it, she didn't want to part with him either. So with a smile on her face she agreed to his request.  
Luke's face immediately lit up in happiness as he immediately ran over and hugged the brown-headed woman, for it was he beginning of his life as the assistant to the professor.


	33. Mystery Solving

Chapter 33

A few months had passed since the events with Misthallery's Specter. Not only had Arianna had fully recovered from her illness, but Luke and his family moved back to London where the young boy could work for the professor. Emmett had also stayed true to his word and didn't alert newspapers until Arianna was fully recovered and no longer needed to rely on the Golden Garden to survive. The brown-headed man took in a deep sigh as he stood outside of the Garden's entrance, watching as black trucks were speeding toward him. He didn't even need to see the drivers to know they were Targent agents since the whole point of him alerting the newpapers about the garden's existence was so he could secretly get the information out to Bronev without alerting the police.

Emmett flinched slightly when he saw Targent Agents armed with guns pile out of the black trucks, making him glad that he had chosen to wait otherwise the Barde children would had found themselves at the end of those guns. The assistant chose to not single word as he watched the final truck emerge and none other than Bronev and his second in-command Swift.

"Well, Emile, I'm stunned it took you this long to find the Golden Garden. I assumed my daughter should had found it within a few days of her arrival to this town." Bronev commented as he approached Emmett.

The brown-headed man let out an annoyed sigh at the fact his father figure had once again addressed him by his formal name before replying "She was preoccupied, Uncle Leon. That Descole guy showed up and was giving her trouble. It was strange how he was going so far to harm her to try to make her leave town."

When Bronev heard this he raised a brow in interest before he started laughing, confusing both his second in-command and his spy.

His laughter quieted down as he placed his hands on his hips before finally saying "So it seems Descole wants to shield his little sister from both the Azran and me, even if it means severing his bond with her. I have to admit, he has gotten more clever since I had his wife and daughter killed."

As soon as those words left the Targent leader's mouth, Emmett felt like his heart had stopped as realization had hit him like lightning. He now understood the hatred that seemed to burn into him when the masked man had glared at him those many times. He now knew it was because Descole was none other than Desmond Sycamore. The brown-headed man clenched his fist when he felt guilt begin to eat him from the inside, remembering how his last encounter with Sycamore was when he was ordered to kill his daughter. While it was true he had spared the young girl, he was the only one with knowledge of that. As far as Descole knew, Emmett had killed his only daughter with no second thoughts or regrets.

Emmett's mind continued swimming in his own guilt until he heard Swift shout "Hey, Kid, get your head out of the clouds when our boss is talking to you!"

The assistant rapidly blinked his brown eyes before shaking his head and apologizing "Oh sorry, Uncle Leon. I was just trying to figure out a good excuse for the professor since she'll be wondering about my absence. Now what was it that you were saying?"

Bronev shook his head before replying "I was telling you to make sure that my daughter continues with uncovering the mysteries of the Azran Legacy and if Descole gets in the way again, deal with him properly. When the time comes we'll have both of them in our grasp."

Emmett frowned slightly upon hearing this, a part of him not liking the idea of eventually betraying Herminia and handing her over to Targent. But his loyalty to his father-figure was still stronger so he silently nodded his head both in agreement and understanding. With there discussion finished, Emmett stepped to the side to allow Bronev and Swift to enter the Golden Garden to find the keys that would eventually lead them to the Azran Emissary. As Emmett entered the Garden once more, his thoughts trailed off to how by helping Bronev, he had unintentionally hurt and harmed many lives, Descole being the most prominent one. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, hoping that maybe one day in the future he could make up for the hurt he caused.

Back at Gressenhellar University, Herminia was organizing assignment papers while Luke was busy trying to solve one of the puzzles given to her by her students. The professor couldn't help as she watched the young boy scratch his head in thought as his mind came up with different solutions for the puzzle. She had to admit that it reminded her of herself when she younger and helping her father solve puzzles that he had sometimes brought home. Of course the difference between her and Luke was that when she was his age, she wasn't too interested in puzzles until after Randall's death while Luke on the other hand she could tell adored puzzles because of her.

But then at that moment, a loud knocking came from her office door, prompting the brown-headed woman to lift up her head and invite them in. When the door opened up, Herminia was surprised to see her mother standing next to her son Alfendi.

"Mother, what are you doing here with Alfendi?" she asked as she got up from her desk.

"Herminia, I understand you love your job and want to earn money to help take care of your son." Lucille started with a frown, "But it disappoints me how little time you spend with Alfendi. Now I don't you want to pin it on Clarence's death because the both of you were being pretty neglectful because of your jobs even though I know you and Clarence loved your son and would never dream of hurting him. So as you mother I want you to spend today with Alfendi and act like a responsible mother for once."

Herminia didn't utter a word as she slowly tilted her hat over her eyes in guilt. She couldn't deny the fact that while she was a great professor and archeologist, she was no where near an ideal mother. She knew she had allowed herself to get wrapped up in her dedication to her job to insure that she had plenty of money to give her son life's essentials that she had never stopped to consider how much harm she was doing by simply not being there for him. The professor remained silent as she tilted up her hat and allowed her brown eyes to glance down at her son.

She noted that he was annoyed not only by the fact the expression was painted all over his face but also because she saw how his hair was crimson red instead of its usual purplish-brown. As much she hated to admit it, she barely knew about anything that had been running through her son's mind lately. The only thing that she knew was that from observation and the many calls she had received from school teachers to meet with them, she had learned that Alfendi had developed an obsession with criminals that she assumed developed around the time she was almost killed. The professor didn't want that one sad fact to be the only thing she knew about her son; she wanted to know more of what kind of person he was and for once be a responsible mother.

With her mind set, Herminia finally spoke up "You're indeed right mother. I do need to spend some more time with Alfendi. I can't right now since I must attend to my class in a few minutes but I'm sure Luke here can provide Alfendi company. After that I'll dedicate the rest of my day to spending time with my son."

Luicille smiled with approval, glad that her daughter was finally going to focus more of her attention to her son instead of work. Without another word, Herminia's mother left the office with the professor herself following after her a few moments later with papers gathered against her chest and her free hand being used to gently stroke Alfendi's hair on her way out.  
Alfendi huffed in anger before allowing himself to plop down into the couch in his mother's office. He remained silent as his yellow eyes glanced over at Luke who gave him a friendly smile before returning his attention to his puzzle. He did his best to hold back a snarl that began to develop in his throat before clenching his fist in an attempt to calm to himself down. He hated how it seemed his mother had gladly gave Luke more attention that she had ever gave to him; it made him envious of how a boy he had almost no knowledge of managed to win over his mother's loving attention.

Luke tore his attention away from his puzzle and frowned when he noticed Alfendi was giving him a cold glare. The young boy considered it a little surprisingly that a person that was kind and friendly such as the professor ended up raising a son that seemed to be the complete opposite. But remembering how he had promised Herminia that he would keep her son company while she was teaching her class, Luke put down the puzzle he was working on and walked over to Alfendi.

"Hey, you don't mind if I take the seat next to you do you?" he asked in a polite tone with his hands firmly clasped behind his back.

Alfendi rolled his eyes with a sigh and shrugged his shoulders, prompting the dark-blonde-headed to sit down next to him.

"So, Alfendi, what do you usually do while the professor is busy?" Luke asked innocently.

Much to his surprise, the moment he uttered those words, Alfendi snapped his head toward him and snarled "Don't try talking to me or so help me, I'll cut out your tongue just to keep you quiet."

Luke was stunned by the teen's response, causing him to stare at him with mouth ajar and his eyes opened wide. He could tell that Alfendi was no gentleman but it still found it shocking that Alfendi could say something so threatening and vulgar to him without even a hint of remorse. The dark-blonde-headed boy stared at the teen before him before finally silently closing his mouth and narrowing his eyes. As much as he wanted to yell at Alfendi for talking to him so rudely when all he was doing was being friendly, he decided to take the good mannered approach like he had seen Herminia take in Misthallery when she was encountered by people he considered to be a scoundrel.

"Look, I don't know why you're so angry but I promised the professor that I would keep you company and a few mere threatening words won't cause me to back down so whether you like it or not, you're going to have to endure my company." Luke finally spoke up in a stern tone.

Upon hearing this, Alfendi blinked in shock at the young boy's response. He never once encountered someone that refused to be intimidated by his words. At his school, Alfendi was always successfully in scaring off the children with his words which usually caused him to get dragged to detention by one of the teachers and usual have to sit in a meeting with his mother to discuss his strange mentality. So because of this, Alfendi was unsure what else to do as he unleashed a frustrated groan and crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

"Just give me a book to read or something. That's usually what I do when mum isn't spending time with me." he grumbled in sour tone.

Luke nodded his head in understanding before asking "Alright so do you read books about ancient history or stories about legends surrounding ancient times?"

Upon hearing this, Alfendi couldn't help but hold back a snort a laughter before replying "Just because I'm the professor's son doesn't mean I think just like her. I like to read mystery novels. It's pretty fun trying to solve the murder before the character's of the novel do. In a way it's kind of like a puzzle."

When the dirty-blonde-headed boy heard this, his brown eyes lit up in surprise and interest. He was wrong when he thought that Alfendi wasn't completely the opposite of his mother, they may had different approach when it came to personality but they still had one thing that connected them and that was puzzles and mysteries. at that moment a small mischievous grin formed on Luke's face; he wanted to test the teen to see if he was as clever as his mother. Thinking fast, Luke recalled the mystery surrounding Evan Barde's death. He didn't believe Arianna's father was heartless enough to abandon his children and he knew that Jakes claimed that Evan Barde's death was an accident.

With his mind set, Luke finally spoke up "So you like murder mysteries. Let's see if you can figure out the one mystery the professor left unsolved in Misthallery."

Alfendi's raised his brows in interest as he listened to the young boy unfold the tale about how Evan Barde's death from falling off a cliff and how his father and the suspect who claims that it was an accident had witnessed it. His hair began slowly changing back to its usual purple as he focused his thoughts on the mystery puzzle presented before him. He knew if it was truly a suicide, Jakes would have claimed so instead of referring to it as an accidental death.

The teen closed his golden eyes as he said "So there were two witnesses, your father had witnessed the death from a distance and only saw the victim fall of a cliff. As for the suspect, if it were truly a suicide he would have said so, no sense in hiding it. But with how he referred to the death as an accident it leads me to believe that perhaps the victim was being chased and he lost his footing around the cliff. But I do not believe it was the suspect pursuing him."

"Wait, how did you come to that conclusion?" Luke asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

A smug smirk formed on Alfendi's face as his eyes opened and he replied "The suspect would have done everything in his power to prevent the victim from falling. By the sounds of it, altering the will was only a backup plan because of the circumstances. I believe the suspect did go to see the victim but I believe there is a third party member in this puzzle. I believe it was that member who had chased him didn't require the victim to be alive and was purposely seeking to murder the victim. When the victim fell to his death, the third party member left the scene without being noticed by the other two because he had accomplished his goal."

The young boy's mouth dropped open in shock before exclaiming "That's amazing, Alfendi! You really are the professor's son! You and her can solve mysteries in a snap. So do you know who the third person was?"

Alfendi frowned and released a loud sigh before answering "Luke, I don't have all the answers without the necessary evidence. That was the most I could figure out with what you had told me. I don't know who was the one seeking to murder Evan Barde and I doubt we'll ever know for sure."

The teen lowered his head a bit in sadness as his mind recalled how the police was never able to figure out who tried to kill his mother and when Scotland Yard had questioned Denise over what had driven her to create the explosion that had claimed his father's life, the scientist ended up suffering from a mental breakdown as she screamed and cried how she was framed, claiming a horrible beast had claimed Clarence's life.  
Luke frowned when he saw the depressing aura that seemed to loom over Alfendi's head; he hadn't mean to depress him.

So in an attempt to cheer him up, Luke form a smile on his face and said "You know I think whenever the professor is busy, I think I'll come to you with mystery puzzles. I do enjoy seeing you pull apart the pieces and organize them in ways I never thought of. In fact I bet if you sat down and did some puzzles back and forth with the professor, she would be overjoyed."

The purple-haired teen raised a brow in interest at the young boy's suggestion. He had never thought about sitting down and solving puzzles with his mother in an attempt to bond with her more. In reality he always thought if his mother wanted to spend time with him that she would had pushed aside her work herself and dedicate all that time getting to know him better and asking him about his day. But the older her got, the more he quickly discovered that wasn't going to be the case all simply because of how dedicated the professor was to her job. Before he could say another word, the door swung open to reveal none other than Herminia herself.  
The brown-headed woman let out a tired sigh before apologizing how she was held back for a few moments by a young man that seemed to fancy a crush on her before asking her son if he was ready to go with her to a restaurant.

Alfendi remained silent, unsure what to unsure until Luke gently planted his hand on his back and whispered "Go on, now's your chance to test my theory." before he gently nudged him forward.

The teen glanced back at the young boy only to see him give an encouraging grin. With no other choice, he finally took in a deep breath before walking out the door with his mother, hoping his time with her would finally allow him to get closer to her and earn the bond he always yearned for as a young child.


	34. Everlasting Bonds

Chapter 34

Herminia and Alfendi both sat in silence on bench as they were surrounded by the busy aura of the restaurant of people chatting away whilst they dine with waiters and waitresses dashing back and forth through the restaurant in order to fulfill everyone's orders. The professor frowned slightly as she watched her son mindlessly run his index finger along the rim of his glass cup filled with water. Even though she had promised her mother that she would spend more time with Alfendi, she was having a hard time to figure out a topic to discuss with the ten year-old. Herminia knew she barely knew anything about her son except for his obsession with criminals but that was a topic she would prefer to avoid due to the nature of it.

Alfendi managed to finally tear his gaze away from his drink and glance up at his mother. While it annoyed him that she hadn't made a single effort to stir up a conversation with him, he could easily tell from the frown on her face and the disturbance in her eyes that she was struggling to think up a topic starter. He knew that over the years the two turned out very different with her love of sharing knowledge as a professor while valuing the qualities that make her a lady while he was obsessed with the criminal mind and could care less about being a gentleman.

The purple-haired boy sighed as he closed his eyes and thought back to his discussion with Luke, recalling how he suggested that he should try simply sitting down with his mother and solving a puzzle since despite their differences that seemed to be the common ground he shared with his mother. He reopened his eyes to see Herminia silently examining the menu as she continued to struggle finding a way to bond with her son.

Alfendi took in a deep breath before finally speaking up "Mum, I have a puzzle I would like you to solve."

Herminia dropped the menu out of shock, slightly startled from finally hearing words be uttered from her son's mouth.

"There's sixteen people in a restaurant that have all ordered tea to drink but the waiter upon inspecting the stock discovers they only have enough tea to fill on eight full cups, how does he remedy this?" the young boy asked.

The professor closed her eyes in a moment in thought before reopening them and answering "Simple, the waiter can fill the cups halfway and while the customers drink that tea, the waiter can brew up a new pot."

She smiled when she saw her son nodded in response to her answer. Herminia was slightly surprised by the discovery at the fact that Alfendi seemed to enjoy puzzles much like her and made her wish that she had tried sitting down with him and solving a couple of puzzles before. Deciding to continue with their shared activity, she gave her son a puzzle and asked him to solve it. Much to her happiness the ten year-old was able to solve the puzzle with ease, reminding her back when she was a child and sat down and solved crossword puzzles with her father.

"I have to admit, Alfendi, you have quite the knack for puzzle solving." Herminia commented after she and her son solved a couple of puzzles.

Upon hearing this Alfendi smiled slightly, glad to receive praise from his mother, something he had never gotten before due to how much time she spends at the University before his grin slowly faltered and he released a loud sigh.

"Mum, why did you ran off to Misthallery without me?" he started in with his voice laced with a depressed tone, "It kind of tore me up a bit to come out of school only to see grandpa and have him tell me you had left London and wouldn't return for a while. A part of me worried that you might have never came back just like dad that day he died."

Herminia's body froze and her face turned pale from hearing her son's confession. Guilt washed over her at the realization that she had forgotten how the young boy was worried before Clarence left only to have his fears confirmed. Her fists clenched as the memory rushed back to her of her three year-old son bursting into tears as she explained to him that his father would no longer be there. The professor inhaled deeply before reaching out and grasping firmly ahold of one of her son's hands, prompting the young boy to stiffen from the sudden contact.

"I'm sorry, Alfendi. I left you behind because I feared you might get hurt during the investigation, something I've been worried about ever since I was attacked that night for looking into the events behind your father's death. I fear losing you as much as you fear losing me and your father and I had always wanted to give you the best in life. But I can see now that despite my good intentions, in the end I still caused harm by neglecting you. While I can't reverse the decisions that I have made in the past, I can at least start of the path of making the good decisions. Just tell me what you want and I'll make sure it happens to make up for the years I wasn't there for you." she stated in a comforting tone.

Alfendi remained silent as his eyes glanced downward; he wanted one thing for his mother to do for him but he wasn't quite sure if she would allow it.

Deciding to gather up his courage, after a few seconds in silence he finally responded "I want to help you on your future investigations."

"Alfendi, you can't be..." Herminia started to object.

But much to her shock, her son immediately interrupted by stating in a stern tone, "Mum, you know as well as I my knowledge when it comes to solving mysteries. I may be young but if you recall I did manage to help Inspector Grosky solve that one murder mystery at only the age of three and now I'm ten with much more knowledge than I had back then. I know it's dangerous and you want me to stay where it's safe, but I refuse to. Mum, if you want to spend more time with me, you'll let me accompany you."

The professor didn't reply but instead began slightly chuckling much to her son's confusion.

"Your father would be proud to see you standing your ground, it's basically another aspect you share in common with us." she said with a small smile, "Hmm, perhaps I should consider your offer, after all you made quite the compelling counter arguments."

"Wait, really?!" Alfendi exclaimed with his golden eyes wide in shock.

His mother released his hand and pressed her hand against her chin before responded with her eyes close "But I will have to take time to think it over. After all you still have your studies to worry about and I'm certainly not going to have you miss school all because of a mystery."

"So..." the young boy started, taking a pause to clasp his hands together and gently tap his index fingers against each other before continuing, "If you were asked to investigate during say summer or winter break, you'll most likely let me accompany you along with your assistant and that boy?"

Herminia was silent for a few seconds before answering "Perhaps, we'll see what the future has in store."

Alfendi almost felt like his heart had stopped from the answer he received. Without warning he dashed out of his chair and embraced his mother in a tight hug.  
The brown-headed woman was speechless as she glanced down at her son, hearing his shaky breath as he attempted to hold back tears of happiness. It was then she had realized how much her son truly yearned for her love and attention and that he was willing to grow closer with her. She didn't know why but the sight of her son hugging her seemed to tug at the thought at the back of her mind. While she shared the feeling with Clarence and her parents in the past, she felt like there was another that gave her those feelings when she embraced them, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall.

Deciding to push the thought to the back of her mind, she smiled as she gently rested her chin on top of her son's purple-brownish hair and gently began running her hand up and down in a slow comforting motion, silently telling him that she was there for him and this time she intended not to be unintentionally neglectful anymore.

Meanwhile in a small mansion on the far outskirts of London, a young girl at the age of thirteen wearing a red dress stared silently at her mirror dresser as she calmly brushed her light-brown hair, deeply focused on the reflection of the blue eyes that stared back at her, the eyes that reminded her of her mother. She took in a deep sigh before finally setting down her brush and pulling her hair into a ponytail. The silence surrounding her was finally shattered by the sound of knocking.

"Come in." she called out as grabbed a contact lens case off of her dresser and placing the lens over her eyes.

She blinked her eyes a few times before turning her attention back to the mirror to no longer see the familiar blue eyes staring back at her but rather foreign brown ones instead. Her bedroom door opened up to reveal a short man with a brown beard and wearing a red suit enter the room.

"Ah, Flora, I'm so glad to have found you." the man greeted.

Flora smiled back as she greeted "Hello, Papa. So why were you looking for me?"

The man smiled as he walked over and gently grasped Flora by her hand and help her stand up before answering "Bruno has built something he thought you may like and has asked me to bring you to the living room so he could show it to you. I do not know what is but the way Bruno talked about it must be good."

The young girl tilted her head in confusion; she knew that Bruno was her father's mechanic that usually built machines for him so she couldn't possibly figure out what machines had to do with her personal interest since she was more of an animal lover. Figuring that she would get her answer sooner by actually following her father, the young girl smiled as she left her room, allowing the man to guide her through the hallways until finally she reached the living room. It was there she saw Bruno standing in the center of the room, tightly grasping his blue cap in his hands.

Flora walked up to the gray bearded man, taking notice of the oil stains that covered his brown jacket, orange shirt, and blue pants.

"Ah, Miss Flora, I'm glad to see Baron Reinhold brought you." the mechanic said with a smile.

"Yes, he told me that you wish to show me a surprise." the brown-headed girl replied.

The gray-haired man nodded his head before pulling out a remote and pushing a button.  
With in seconds an adult woman with blonde hair tied in a bun and wearing a blue dress with a small white jacket and gray boots entered the room with a bright and kind smile. When Flora saw the woman her heart felt like stopping as her face turned pale and cold sweat ran down her forehead. Her body shook as she tried to comment but no words were able to come out as memories rushed through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as the sound of a gunshot and a scream ran throughout her mind.

In an attempt to keep herself from crying, the young girl slapped her hand over her mouth and dashed out of the room. As she ran, she took a second to glance back at the woman to see the hurt and confused frown painted on her face as her hauntingly familiar blue eyes stared at her. Flora could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she made it back to her bedroom and released a small whimper. She wiped away her tears as she got on the floor and slipped her hand under the mattress. Within a few seconds she managed to pull out a partially torn picture that showed the very same woman she saw in the living room smiling as she held a baby girl in her arms and a man in a black suit with brown hair laughing as held the woman in an one-arm embrace.

Flora bit her lip as her old memories began to resurface, reminding her of what she had lost as she hugged the picture against her chest and quietly whispered "I miss you, mother."

Back at Targent's headquarters known as the Nest, in a dark cell sat none other than Clarence. The ginger-headed man groaned as he rubbed his bloodshot eyes, ignoring the pain cause by flexing his scrapped and cut fingers. Ever since Bill Hawks had the two agents take him away, the scientist had been trapped behind their prison walls for seven years, forced to unlock the mysteries of the Azran. He let out a sigh as the memories of the day he woke up to find himself in the presence of the man he regrettable knew as his father-in-law filled his mind.

_Clarence groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. At first he thought that he was perhaps waking up in the afterlife until he felt his body ache from burnt skin and exposed wounds. He inhaled sharply as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his chest from just trying to move. The ginger-headed man squinted his eyes for a few seconds, trying to get a hold of surroundings. He was confused where he was until he froze when he remembered the events of the time machine explosion._

_Clarence took in rapid breaths as his head darted around the room as he constantly muttered to himself "No, how's it possible? That explosion it should have killed me the moment I was returned to the present. I shouldn't be alive! Why am I still alive? Denise was trying so desperately to save me because she claimed to have found my dead body in the past. So this shouldn't be possible!"_

_His rapid thoughts of panic and confusion continued racing through his mind until a voice said "I have no idea what you're constantly muttering to yourself, Mr. Foley, but I can answer why you have been brought here."_

_The ginger-headed man turned his head to see Bronev sitting at his desk with his hands firmly clasped together. Upon seeing the strange man, he raised a brow both in confusion and suspicion. He didn't know who the man was but despite that he sensed a sinking feeling at the possibility of his presence being caused by dark intentions._

_Deciding to swallow his nerves and get answers, Clarence took in a deep breath before asking "Alright then who are you and why am I here, that is if I am truly alive."_

_Ignoring the last part of his comment, Bronev stood up from his desk and answered "My name is Leon Bronev and I am the leader of an organization called Targent. Our goal is to unlock the secret of the Ancient Civilization known as the Azran. We have gathered many scientists and archeologists to help us with our cause, you being one of them."_

_Upon hearing this, the scientist immediately exclaimed "I know nothing of the Azran! I didn't even study the civilization!"_

_The bearded man formed a dark grin on his face as he reached up and slightly lowered his sunglasses to reveal his crimson-like eyes as he replied "No but according to our acquaintance Bill Hawks, your wife was studying the Azran so by logic you should at least know of the technology and since you helped with the time machine project which was in reality a test if Azran artefacts could be used as a source of energy for our tools and weaponry, you should be helpful to our cause."_

_Clarence remained silent as he dug his fingers in his hair and his mind went into shock. He didn't want to believe he had survived the event that many had thought claimed his life only for himself to be captured in the clutches of a corrupt organization. Unable to cope with this he began screaming and muttering that he shouldn't be alive, that he should be dead like everyone said he was._ _  
_Bronev didn't understand the man's mad ramblings, unaware of the events that were triggered from the time machine's explosion. Without a word he summoned two agents and had the scientist taken away, wanting to wait until the scientist was sane once more._ _

Clarence inhaled deeply as he ran his hand through his hair, recalling how it had taken him a few weeks to finally come with terms with his survival and capture. He remembered how at first he refused to work with Targent until Bronev revealed that he knew he was the husband of his daughter and that if he didn't follow orders he would order a couple his agents to bring harm both to her and his son Alfendi. He clenched his teeth as rage built up in him at the thought of his wife being the biological daughter of a cruel and corrupt man that is willing to resort to kidnapping and violence in order to get what he wants, making him glad that she had been adopted at a young age and raised by a much kinder couple.

He remained deep in his thoughts until the sound of his cell door opening up and a voice shouting "Foley, you're required to assemble some machine guns with Azran crystal fragments and you know the rules, try to sabotage anything or run away you'll pay the price!"

Clarence unleashed a depressed and tired sigh as he slowly stood up and left his cell, following the Targent Agent to the assembly room. He only hoped that if he continued to survive against all odds that one day he'll finally be free and when the time is right, he could be reunited with his son and wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to incorporate Clarence more into the story because keeping him alive seemed rather pointless if I did nothing with him. So Clarence will start appearing more in the story and will be very important later on in the story.


	35. Gift of Eternal Life

Chapter 35

Herminia sighed as she accepted a stack of letters from her maid Rosa. She sat down at her desk and began flipping through the letters, ignoring the ones that she knew to be paychecks and the ones she knew was letters of admiration from a young man named Rosso who was a student of hers that was absolutely infatuated with her. The professor rolled her eyes before she opened up the drawer on her desk which was filled to the brim with past letters from Rosso before shoving his current letters inside and slamming it closed.

Once she finished sorting through the different letters, she noticed that the last letter was different from the others. Deciding to fulfill her curiosity, Herminia picked up the envelope to discover it was sent by Janice Quatlane who was a former student of hers that went on to become an opera singer. She opened the envelop and was stunned when she saw the letter contained a message asking for her help to solve a mystery concerning a young girl who claimed to be Janice's deceased friend Melina who supposedly came back from the dead after receiving the gift of eternal life.

Feeling something else was in the envelope, Herminia shook it a bit, prompting three tickets to the opera to fall upon her desk. Upon further inspection the letter explained how the tickets were for her, Emmett, and Luke who the young opera singer learned were accompanying her from the newspaper article about the three of them discovering the Golden Garden.

Before Herminia could think anymore about the mystery handed to her, the door to office opened up to reveal Luke greeting "Good morning, professor!" as he entered the room.

"Ah, Luke, you've arrived just in time. I was looking through my letters to discover that we have another mystery to look into." the professor replied as she handed him the letter.

Luke's eyes widened as he read the message, surprised that someone was claiming they had received eternal life.

"Janice was even kind enough to give us tickets so we can go see her show and discuss with her the situation afterwards." Herminia explained as she held up the tickets in her hand.

She was expecting Luke to be excited at the thought on going on another adventure with her until the young boy pointed out how there wasn't enough tickets to bring Alfendi along. She was confused by this until she remembered her agreement with her son that she would take him on an investigation but only if he didn't have any school at the time and it turned out that he didn't have school for a few days. The professor sighed as she silently tapped her chin, wondering how she should go about the tickets without breaking her promise to her son.

Later that day Luke clung onto the car seat with the expression of fear painted on his face while Alfendi sat calmly while reading a mystery novel. The dirty-blond-headed boy was terrified by Emmett who was driving Herminia's car at top speeds with a smug grin on his face, causing the car to constantly bump around. His brown eyes glance over to the professor to see that just like her son she was calmly reading a novel, only occasionally reaching up with one hand to prevent her top hat from falling off of her head.

"How can you both be use to Emmett's crazy driving?" Luke exclaimed as he slightly bounced up from his seat, causing his hat to fall over his eyes.

"To be honest, this isn't really any different from mum's driving and I pretty much got use to it after having her drive me around for ten years." Alfendi answered without even tearing his gaze away from his novel.

"Besides, kid, if you can't handle the way I drive then you'll have a hard time being assistant number two." Emmett teased with a smirk.

The dirty-blonde- headed boy huffed in anger before immediately replying "First of all I made it absolutely clear that I don't like you calling me kid! Second of all I am not the professor's second assistant; I am her apprentice number one!"

Emmett rolled his eyes before directing his attention back to the road. He was truly stunned when Herminia informed him of the case they were dealing with and much to his fear it was possibly connected with an ancient Azran kingdom known as Ambrosia. He silently inhaled deeply as his hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel. A part of him had hoped that the investigation wouldn't have anything to do with the Azran so that he wouldn't have to worry about his secret duty as a spy for Bronev. Over the months, the guilt kept lingering over Emmett's head as he continued to sneak around Herminia's back, informing Targent of every little detail about the Azran that had came up.

He knew that he couldn't keep the secret hidden forever and eventually one day he would have to reveal his traitorous deeds to the people he had grown to care about. The assistant was awakened from his thoughts when he heard Herminia ask him if he was alright. His brown eyes glanced at his companion for a second, managing to notice the concerned frown on her face before immediately directing his attention back to the road.

"Oh sorry, professor." he spoke up, "I was just thinking about the missing girls' case I have to look into while you, Luke, and your son go see Janice's show. Sorry if I seemed lost in thought for a moment."

"Well alright then, just know if you have any problems, you can always talk to me." Herminia replied as she directed her attention back to her novel.

But because she did this, she didn't notice how her words made Emmett's face turn red as he smiled slightly.

It wasn't long to they finally reached their destination along the cliffs of Dover. Emmett raised a brow out of curiosity when his eyes gazed upon the elegant opera house known as the Crown Petone. He found it strange because he never recalled an opera house under that name and made him wonder why it suddenly appeared out of the blue with no one being informed of its existence ahead of time. He was awakened from his thought s when he heard the sound of Herminia leaving the car along with Luke and Alfendi.

"By the way, Emmett, before you go I would like you to drop by Dr. Schrader's office at some point." the professor said as she turned toward her assistant. "Back when he was still my teacher he briefly spoke to me about his research on the kingdom of Ambrosia. He had discontinued his work when Archeologist Falson and his daughter Melody mysteriously went missing went missing about thirteen years ago. But he should have enough material for you to look into because I suspect that Janice's mystery might be connected to the ancient Azran kingdom."

Emmett did his best not to flinch as he pulled out his camera and began taking pictures of the opera house, trying to hide away his emotions the best he could since he was fully aware that both Melody and her father weren't missing but rather killed by the very man he looked up to as a father.

Forcing a grin on his face he finally replied "Of course, professor. You can count on me."

Herminia nodded in satisfaction before her assistant climbed back into the car and drove off.

"It's about time he drove off, I thought if his face were to turn any redder it would explode." Alfendi commented with his arms crossed as the trio walked into the opera house.

"What do you mean by that, Alfendi?" Luke asked out of confusion.

The purple-headed boy sighed before answering "Based on how nervous Emmett is around mum, it's obvious he has a bit of a fancy for her. I don't know whether mum knows this and chooses to not comment or if she is truly oblivious to his feelings. But I suppose it doesn't matter, I just hope he realizes those feelings aren't worth pursuing."

Luke was stunned by the professor's son's comment; he had never realized that Emmett had feelings for Herminia but when he looked back he remembered how anger and protective Emmett became when Jakes threatened the professor to the point when Herminia rescued them he had demanded if she was unharmed.

"Well I guess it's reasonable for Emmett to fall for the professor, she's been very kind to him and they seem to get along very well to the point I mistook him for the professor's husband when I saw she was wearing a wedding ring. Why do you say he shouldn't pursue his feelings?" he asked.

"Luke..." Alfendi began to speak with his voice hinted with both bitterness and sadness, "You never got a chance to know my father Clarence before he was killed in a explosion seven years ago. If you had him then you would have known how much mum had truly loved and cared for him. I may not know much about my mum but I know that she simple can't feel for another person how she felt for my father. I don't know if mum will ever try to get in another relationship but the most likely answer is no."

The dirty-blonde-headed boy remained silent as they continued walking into the opera house. He now understood why Herminia was saddened for a few seconds when he pointed out the wedding ring she wore. His brown eyes glanced down at the floor in thought, wondering how the brown-headed woman still managed to find the strength to be strong in life after she experienced such a devastating tragedy.  
Herminia inhaled deeply as her eyes glanced around the opera house halls which were filled with many fossils and gold crowns. Because her mind was distracted, she was unable to pay any attention to Luke's discussion with her son. Instead her thoughts were focused on the mystery on Ambrosia and the Eternal Life that was supposedly gifted to Melina.

She was awakened from her thoughts when she heard the sound of someone running toward her. She turned her head to see none other than Janice who was a red-headed woman wearing a purple dress approaching her with a relieved smile on her face.

"Professor, I'm so glad you were able to make it. I wasn't sure what I would do if you hadn't come." Janice said before she gave the brown-headed woman a small hug.

"I came as soon as I received your letter. Though unfortunately Emmett will be unable to attend, I had sent him to look into a certain case. I have a hunch but I can't be too certain until I gather more clues, so I brought my son Alfendi in his place." Herminia said as she placed her hand against her son's back and nudged him forward.

The red-headed woman smiled as she kneeled down where she was eye level with the ten year-old boy.

"Your mother is lucky to have such a handsome boy for a son." Janice commented.

Upon hearing this Alfendi rolled his eyes, not really interested in the young woman's compliments.

Noticing this immediately, Herminia stated "Alfendi is a good boy but he doesn't necessarily share my viewpoint when it comes to manners so while he may come off rude, just know that he has a nice personality once he finally warms up to you."

Janice nodded in understanding before she turned her attention to Luke. She couldn't help but giggle slightly as she watched the boy's mouth drop open slightly before his face began to blush brightly. Fortunately she knew the boy was only flustered by her appearance rather than feelings since she was much too old for him; she was able to know this from past experiences of many people commenting on her beauty whether it be opera critics or loving fans. Without a word Janice stood back up and turned toward the professor once more.

"Well the show is fixing to start and I must get prepared for my part. So hopefully once the show is over I may be able to discuss with you this strange situation." she said.

"Of course, I understand, Janice. In the meantime I'll be looking forward to your performance." Herminia replied.

Janice smiled with gratefulness before she took off without another word.  
The trio didn't utter a single word as they made their way to the seating area and sat down in their respective seats. Luke watched in awe as the lights dimmed and the red curtains pulled away to reveal many people dressed in white robes in the setting of a beautiful garden. Within seconds music began to fill the air and the spotlight shined down on Janice who was now wearing an elegant pink dress and a gold tiara.

Once her voice chimed throughout the opera house, Luke found himself commenting "Janice has a lovely voice."

"Indeed, after all she was trained by Melina's mother Maria Whistler." the professor stated, "In fact she is the reason why this play exists."

Both Luke and Alfendi listened as Herminia explained how the composer's wife Maria Whistler had often read the stories of Ambrosia and was truly enchanted by the story of a kingdom with a beautiful queen who one day fell ill, prompting her subjects to search for a cure, leading them to discover the Elixir of Life but they were too late to save their queen so they drank the elixir themselves in hopes that one day their queen would return. Maria had loved the story so much that she shared them with her daughter with Melina. Unfortunately tragedy struck her when one day she was discovered dead at a restaurant and traces of poison were discovered in her teacup.

"No one to this day knows who poisoned Maria or why they did so. But the death left her husband Oswald Whistler devastated and according to Janice, he only fell deeper into his depression when his daughter Melina died from illness. This is why he had chosen to center the play around the legend of Ambrosia, in memory of his daughter and wife." Herminia finished explaining.

Alfendi fell silently as his golden eyes glanced downward; he was very familiar with the feeling of loss, prompting him to remember how devastated and broken he felt when Herminia had slipped into a coma, especially during the time he was already suffering from the news of his father's death. He was awakened from his thoughts when the last words of Janice's song rang through his ears. Upon hearing the last note, the ten year-old boy raised a brow in confusion. He didn't know why but the note seemed to carry a strange aura that made him feel like it wasn't truly the red-headed woman's singing. But he quickly brushed off the thought, believing the feeling just to be his imagination.

Once Janice's song ended, both Herminia and Luke stood up as they applauded the performance. But much to their surprise no one else was applauded but instead glancing around the room with bored expressions painted on their faces and releasing a few occasional yawns. Herminia was confused by this until the spotlights flashed on once more, directing her attention to the stage once more. But what she saw one stage almost made her blood run cold. There standing in the spotlight was none other than Descole.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for joining my little game." the masked man chuckled with a smirk.

"Professor, isn't that the man from Misthallery?" Luke exclaimed in shock, stunned to once again encounter the masked man.

Herminia balled one of her hands into a fist, doing her best to keep herself calm as she replied "Yes it is, Luke."

"Now before I explain the rules of this game, I would like an audience member to join me on stage. Pacifically Professor Layton." Descole said.

The brown-headed woman's brown eyes widened in shock slightly, leaving her to wonder exactly how he knew she was in the opera house. Deciding to comply with the orders for the moment, she took in a deep sigh before walking up on stage with Luke following closely behind her. She knew the young boy didn't want her going anywhere near the masked man alone, especially after he almost killed her with his giant robot back in Mistahallery.

Descole remained silent as he watched his sister approach him with an angry yet stern expression on her face. It enraged him to see that she was once again was getting to close to the Azran for his liking and that no matter what he seems to do, his actions never seems to drive the professor off from discovering the truth. His brown eyes glanced at Luke who was angrily glaring at him in an attempt to make himself look as protective as possible. He didn't want the young boy to come up on stage as well but he chose to ignore him, knowing that the boy had learned from Herminia to never back down no matter what.

"Alright, Descole, how did you know I was here?" the professor spoke up.

"Well after our encounter in Misthallery, I learned that you're always foolish enough to get involved in my affairs, no matter what threats I throw in your direction. So since I know I can't make you back down, I might as well have you play in my game as well. But this time I have learned to not underestimate you so I've decided to take a few precautions." Descole replied.

Herminia was confused by this until she heard Alfendi yell out. She turned toward the audience and froze when she saw two men wearing black clothes and white masks holding onto her son tightly by his arms and he kicked and struggled in an attempt to get free.

She clenched her teeth tightly before spinning toward the masked man once more and yelling "Leave my son out of this, if you truly want me out of the way then have me taken as a prisoner rather than Alfendi, he has nothing to do with this."

Descole remained silent as he closed his eyes for a second. As much as he hated to admit it, the scene reminded him of the memory of Bronev threatening him when he showed that he had both his wife and daughter in his grasp. He didn't have to image the thoughts of rage anger that were coursing through the professor's mind at the sight of her son being held against his will in the grasp of two men that looked ready to perform harm at command. While he didn't want to resort to such a dirty tactic in order to insure his sister wouldn't get too much involved in his plan, the memory of her suffering convinced him to strive forward with his plans, making sure Herminia stayed far away from the Azran at all costs.

After a few seconds of silence he reopened his eyes and said "These are the actions I must take to keep you on a tight leash. I can't have you go and besting me like you did in Misthallery. So here's the deal, play in my game and follow all the rules and your son shall be returned to you unharmed. But if you dare step out of line, your son will suffer the consequences."

Herminia sighed as she glanced back at her son; she couldn't bare the thought of something happening to him so without any seconds thoughts she agreed to the masked man's terms.

 _"Just hang in there, Alfendi. Once I find a way to get you out of harm, I will figure out what Descole is doing. If he's here there's no doubt that this mystery has to be involved with the Azran just like the mystery of the specter was."_ she thought to herself.

"Well now that's settled, I shall now explain the game. Everyone in this room will be competing for the chance to receive eternal life. The winner shall receive eternal life while the losers..." Descole explained before forming a dark grin on his face and finishing "Shall lose their lives."


	36. Puzzling Matters

Chapter 36

People began to panic and scream, it terrified them that a strange masked man was forcing them to play a game where only one would survive. The atmosphere of the opera immediately turned into pure chaos as many people began shoving their way through the rows of seats, desperate to escape the death trap. But before they could run out of the doors, they were immediately blocked off by some of the show extras who immediately pulled off their white cloaks to reveal themselves as more masked people wearing black suits.

Then without warning the floor opened up, dropping all the people trying to escape into the dark abyss with their screams of terror filling the air. Herminia gasped in horror as she watched some people trying to pull themselves back to safety only to lose their grip and fall screaming to their doom and the floors close back. She clenched her fist in anger before spinning toward Descole.

"You're so desperate to get to closer to the Azran. I find it amusing how much a hypocrite you are, Descole." Herminia commented in a stern tone.

"I would hold back those remarks of yours if you truly care for your son." Descole replied with a slight snarl.

But all of the sudden, out from the crowd jumped up Inspector Grosky. Acting fast the Inspector slammed Descole to the ground and pinned him there with his hand firmly holding the masked man's head in place with his foot shoved in his back.

"You will be taking no more lives! You're being placed under arrest by I, Inspector Grosky. I suspected something strange about this opera house when reports came in about anonymous individuals being hired as stage hands and show extras. Such people would only be hired if there was someone hiding something. But I can safely say I've put an end to your madness!" he exclaimed.

Descole rolled his eyes with a sigh; due to his many encounters with Targent agents, he did not consider the inspector a threat. So without warning he managed to free one of his arms and grab Grosky by his jacket and threw him over himself, causing a loud smash. He quickly stood up and from the corner of his eye he saw Herminia quickly making a mad dash for Alfendi. He chuckled at this before raising his hand to his mouth a let out a sharp whistle.  
Herminia was merely inches away from the two masked men but much to her horror, using all their strength they tossed her son into the air. She couldn't hold back the frightened yelp that emitted from her mouth, created from her motherly instincts.

The professor spun around just in time to see Descole successfully catch Alfendi in his arms. She was only partly relieved to see her son unharmed but was still mostly angry to see him in the arms that she had grown to hate so much, no matter how much it hurt her.

"So with everything settled, let the game begin." Descole said and without another word, smoke filled up the room.

All the people in the room coughed and rubbed their burning eyes. But by the time the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Descole and his men nor Alfendi. Herminia took in deep breaths, doing her best to remain calm since she knew that she would be no help to Alfendi if she let her emotions cloud her thoughts. She was awakened from her thoughts when she heard someone call out for her. She turned around to see a worried Janice running toward her.

"Professor, I saw what happened! I can't believe that horrible man used your son as blackmail." she said as she grabbed ahold of Herminia's hand with a frown.

"Well I'm not, Descole tried to kill the professor back in Misthallery, so I'm not surprised that he kidnapped Alfendi." Luke exclaimed.

At that moment the entire room began shaking, causing people to lose their balance and to fall to the floor. Deciding to investigate, Herminia along with Luke, Janice, and Grosky quickly ran to the entrance. Once outside the group was stunned to see the opera house was actually a ship and they were quickly sailing far from land. Her brown eyes glanced to the side when she saw a red-headed man with a brown jacket climbing on top of the railings with the full intent to swim back to shore. She glanced down at the ocean waters once more and gasped slightly before she quickly ran over and grabbed the man by the arm.

"Hey lady, what's the big idea?" he replied with his eyes narrowed as he jerked his arm out of her grip.

Keeping her calm and ladylike appearance, Herminia answered "If you would kindly take a look at the waters, you'll see exactly why I stopped you from jumping overboard."

The man raised a brow before leaning over the railing but the moment his eyes focused on the water, his face turned pale as all his confidence from before left him in a flash. Swimming in the ocean waters was a group of sharks with strange devices hooked on their noses.

"Strange, normally you don't normally see sharks in these waters." a man in a ship captain's uniform commented as he took a small smoke from his pipe.

"Well if we're sailing away from shore, that means that dastardly criminal from Misthallery should be still on the ship somewhere. I shall perform a search and I should be able to locate where he is holding your son." Grosky stated.

The brown-headed woman nodded her head before she watched the Inspector run off in a flash. While she understood how dedicated he was to his job; she didn't really believe he would be able to successfully track down Descole. She knew how clever the masked man was and how he was an expert when it come to staying out of sight. Herminia sighed as she temporarily pushed those thoughts aside, believing that it was more important to focus on Descole's game for Eternal Life until she managed to gather enough information to get to the bottom of the mystery.

"Professor, I'm worried about Alfendi. How do we know that guy will stay true to his word?" Luke spoke up with a frown.

Herminia gently laid her hand on Luke's head, forming a comforting smile as she answered "I don't know but I have a feeling Descole will honor our agreement. Right now the best thing we can do for him is to stay true to our part."

Luke remained silent as he stared up at the professor. He was shocked that even after witnessing Descole threatening to harm Alfendi and kidnap him, the brown-headed woman was still able to keep her emotions under check and still retain her ladylike nature. He couldn't help but admire that trait, hoping that one day he could remain calm in the face in danger like a true gentleman. At that moment, everyone's heads lifted up when the sounds of organ music filled the air, blaring in everyone's ears.

"That must be Mr. Whistler, I'm surprised he stayed in the stage room after such a terrifying display." Janice commented.

"Well there's only one way to find out." Herminia replied before she started headed back to the stage room along with Luke and Janice trailing behind her.

Meanwhile in the secret compartment of the ship, Descole inhaled deeply as he crimson-like eyes carefully examined the screens that showed live footage of every room on the ship. He saw the group of people were making their way back to the stage room, just like he intended. He ripped his gaze away from the security screens when he heard the sound of clanking. He turned around to see Alfendi turning his head in different directions as his wrist pulled on the cuff chained to the pole that kept him rooted in place.

Descole sighed in annoyance as he rubbed his temples, careful not to knock off his mask as he commented "I suggest you stop making that racket, boy. I promised your mother that as long as she plays my game that I would not harm you but that doesn't mean you won't suffer the consequences for testing my patience."

Alfendi stopped looking around and directed his attention toward the masked man and replied "I'm not trying to cause a racket, I'm trying to get an idea what kind of criminal you are."

Descole raised a brow in confusion as the young boy begin explaining his curiosity about how the criminal performs his acts and how he is interested in the mystery surrounding his motives for such an elaborate scheme. He hadn't expected his nephew to have such a fascination with criminals and despite not knowing him very well all due to the fact the only time he saw him was a baby, he knew that the young boy wasn't always that way since he noticed how as Alfendi continued talking, his hair had shifted to a bright crimson red when he remembered Herminia claimed it only changed when he was sad or upset.

Figuring he had time to burn to get to know his nephew better, Descole asked "Why are you so interested in my tactics anyway?"

Alfendi paused in his explanation and stared at his captor with his eyes narrowed. While he still was angry at the man for using him as leverage against his mother, he found it interesting how the masked man reacted when he couldn't help but comment on the criminal due to his unhealthy obsession with the criminal mind. The young boy knew on the surface it seemed to be just an innocent question but he easily picked up a hint of uneasiness in the masked man's voice, as if he was unsettled by his obsession.

He hummed quietly in thought, deciding to gather more information by replying "It actually began around the time my father was killed in an explosion caused by a scientist going by the name of Denise Allen. My mother tried to look into the incident but she was attacked and severely injured by a group of thugs and the files she was carrying were stolen. She would have died on the streets if it weren't for a kind stranger carrying her to the hospital but the staff never did find out who he was."

Descole did his best not to flinch as he remembered how he found Herminia injured on the streets and ran into the hospital while clinging tightly onto her body. He glanced over at Alfendi and stiffened when he saw the boy tilt his head in interest. He clenched his teeth tightly, knowing the boy had inherited his observation skills from his mother and managed to easily catch the action he so desperately tried to hide. With a huff he firmly crossed his arms and did his best to bury his emotions as to not give away any more hints.

"Your father was killed and your mother almost killed by criminals. I fail to see how that would make you interested in the criminal mind, if I were in your position, it would make me hate criminals with a passion." he commented.

"Well then you can't see the bigger picture." Alfendi replied with a smirk, "I want to know how their minds work, exactly what makes them tick. I want to know what they feel when they pull off a crime, especially if it's murder. Do they feel joy, sadness, regret, excitement? All these thoughts are fascinating to me and I want to explore them."

The masked man couldn't prevent his body from flinching for a second time upon hearing this response much to his frustration. He couldn't believe how much the tragedy affected his nephew to the point the boy developed an unhealthy obsession, much like himself when he was at his age but instead of his obsession revolving around the criminal mind, his revolved around the Azran and getting revenge.

 _"Huh, he really is my nephew."_ Descole thought to himself as he silently turned back toward the screens just in time to see the crowd of people enter the stage room.

Back with Herminia she cautiously entered the stage room with Luke tightly clinging onto his her coat with one hand while the other firmly held Janice's hand as to prevent her from getting lost in the crowd of people. She wasn't surprised when the saw Mr. Whistler sitting at a large organ with many instruments attached to the top of it.

"Hey what's the big idea, people are dying and you're just playing music!" the man Herminia prevented from jumping overboard shouted.

"We've been sent out to sea and there's sharks swimming in the waters." a brown-headed woman with a green dress exclaimed.

"Was this all part of your plan when you invited us here?" a bearded man in a green suit accused with a raised brow.

Mr. Whistler inhaled deeply as he stopped playing; he took a moment to glance at the picture of his wife smiling with her arms wrapped carefully around her daughter. He grabbed the picture and carefully folded it into his jacket pocket before turning around to be greeted by the angry and accusing glares of the people.

He adjusted his glasses for a moment before replying "I was simply asked to orchestrate an opera, I had no idea that these events would unfold. Why would I go out of my way to make an opera I dedicated to my deceased wife and daughter and turn it into nothing more than a death trap? I would be disgracing both of their memories so it should be clear that I am not the culprit here."

Herminia closed her eyes as she thought about Whistler's words. She found it strange how the man claimed he had no idea Descole was planning yet their was the fact the masked man had appeared right as the show ended, too close to be a coincidence and that Descole's hired henchman were put on as the show's extras. She knew that it had to be impossible for Whistler to have no knowledge of Descole's plans when he had to work with him in order to set up the show in the first place. But due to the lack of information, the professor chose to remain silent about her suspicions until she gathered more pieces to solve the puzzle.

At that moment Descole's voice echoed throughout the stage room, informing the people of their first puzzle. The spotlight shined on the stage as a large music box lifted up before Descole explained the first puzzle of the game was to the find the oldest thing they could see before the music stopped. Many people quickly ran out of the room to the fossil exhibit they recalled seeing upon entering the opera house the moment the music started playing.

"Come on, professor, we better solve that puzzle or we'll never be able to rescue Alfendi." Luke stated.

Herminia nodded her head in agreement as she followed the young boy. She couldn't help but smile a bit when she saw Luke still firmly held Janice's hand, guiding her like a true gentleman.  
Luke's brown eyes constantly glanced around the room as he searched for anything that could be the answer to the puzzle. He took a moment to glance back at the two women following him and saw both of them giving him encouraging smiles; he couldn't help but fill up with pride, happy that his gentleman qualities weren't only noticed by a lady but also his mentor. With confidence filling him, the young boy formed a huge, determined grin on his face as he continued searching. But his confidence quickly faded when after a few minutes, he couldn't spot anything that looked like the oldest thing he could see.

"Professor, do you have any ideas? You're an archeologist so maybe you can spot it easier than me." he suggested.

The professor hummed in reply as she tapped her fingers against her chin; she knew instantly that none of the exhibits could be the answer since it would take too long to examine them to figure out which is older when Descole wanted an immediate answer. Her mind trailed back to the stage room when Descole was explaining the puzzle; she noticed during his explanation that the roof mysteriously opened up. At that moment she gasped and snapped her fingers as the answer hit her.

"I think I know exactly what we're looking for, come along and follow me." she stated.

Luke grinned in excitement as he followed Herminia's command but much to his confusion he saw she had lead them back to the theater.

"The oldest thing is in here professor?" he asked.

The brown-headed woman nodded her head as she pointed upward. Luke looked up and gasped in realization, now understanding the answer to the puzzle. He understood that Descole never said that the oldest thing was on the ship, he only asked them to look at the oldest thing they could see and with the roof opened, it allowed them to see the stars which were as old as the earth itself.

"That was clever thinking professor, I noticed the roof opened during the explanation but didn't pay mind to it. Should have known it was opened for a reason." Janice commented.

"Well I can't blame you since one would easily think the ship since this game for eternal life is being held on the ship, leaving them to never consider the answer being something that isn't on the ship." Herminia replied as she gently patted the red-headed woman's shoulder.

Before anyone could say anything else, the music finally stopped and Descole announced that everyone in the stage room would continue. Without warning the sounds of doors swinging open and terrified screams echoed outside of the theater room before silence filled the air once more. The professor took in a deep breath as she tried to quell her anger; it disgusted her that the masked man was willing to kill so many people just to fulfill his scheme to get closer to the ancient Azran Kingdom.

"So many people have died already, professor. How can one man be so cruel?" Janice said with her voice hinted in both sadness and anger.

Herminia opened her mouth to answer but much to her surprise she found herself with a lack of an answer. She knew that she saw with her own eyes many people seemingly fall to their deaths, but for reason she couldn't understand, she felt that Descole wasn't truly the cold-hearted man he made himself out to be. She quietly groaned in frustration confused on why she felt close to him and why it continued to hurt her to hate him even if her mind was telling her that she had every reason to despise him.

"Professor?" the red-headed woman asked out worry, snapping the professor out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Janice. I guess I was at a lost for thoughts." Herminia immediately apologized.

"A loss for thoughts?! That's a first." Luke commented as he took off his hat and scratched his head, finding it hard to believe that the mentor he considered to be the smartest woman alive had no answer.


	37. The Largest Crown

Chapter 37

"Now onto the second puzzle." Descole's voice echoed throughout the theater, "Go to where you can see the largest crown."

The remaining people in the room started muttering amongst themselves, remembering how they also spotted a room full of crowns when they entered the opera house but were too frightened to check in fears that the crown just like the museum exhibit were nothing more than red heirrings and would end up costing them their lives.  
Luke hummed as he mulled about the puzzle before pulling out his note book and writing the puzzle down. Taking notes from how Herminia solved the last puzzle, the young boy chewed on the end of his pencil deep in thought, trying to sort through the different possibilities. At that moment he gasped loudly when he recalled a detail in his surroundings when he, Alfendi, and Herminia first met Janice.

"I got it, Professor!" Luke exclaimed happily as he slapped closed his book, "When we first met Janice, I remember a seeing a sign with the ship's name on it and it was called 'The Crown Petone'!"

The black bearded man wearing the green suit raised a brow upon hearing this and commented "I think that boy is onto something. In fact I think I recall the sign was shaped like a huge crown!"

The people in the room began chatting excitedly, fully convinced that was the answer to their problem. Without any seconds thoughts, the large group of people quickly ran out of the theater room, wanting to reach the sign as quickly as possible. Luke grinned at his success but when he looked up at the professor, much to his surprise the brown-headed woman had her eyes closed with her hand grasping her chin as she quietly humming to herself.

"Professor, shouldn't we get moving?" the young boy urged.

Herminia opened her eyes before glancing down at the boy and simply smiling at him with a nod. Without a word she walked out of the theater with her two companions. They traversed the many halls, heading toward the direction of the sign, but then much to Luke's surprise, Herminia turned and began heading down another hallway.

"Professor, are you lost because I recall the sign being in the opposite direction." Janice stated with her head tilted slightly in confusion.

The professor hummed a small laugh before answering "Don't worry, Janice, I am not lost. I am simply guiding us to the real answer, for you see, just like the other crowns, that sign was a red herring as well."

Luke's mouth dropped open as the born-headed woman began to explain how she pieced together that Descole would want a majority of people to solve the first puzzle and that when it came to solving the second puzzle, he expected people to believe that just like the first puzzle, the answer would be a trick when in reality that merely a trick to set up another one. The young boy let out a frustrated sigh as he scratched his head, trying to make sense on how the woman managed to predict the masked man's expectations so easily. He recalled how back in Mistahallery, he had suspicions about whether she met Descole before that point and after hearing her explanation, it only increased his suspicions.

They continued walking until all the sudden, out from the corner of another hallway emerged a young dirty-blonde-headed girl with blue eyes and wearing a pink dress, humming a strange melody. Herminia eyes widened slightly when she heard the melody; it sounded familiar to her but she couldn't remember where she heard it from at the moment. Unfortunately she didn't get to think about it long because the girl had finally spotted them and gasped with her face frozen in an expression with the mixture of anger and sadness.

"No, no, no! You mustn't be here! You mustn't interfere!" she shouted before running off.

"Melina, wait!" Janice cried out, revealing to both Herminia and Luke that the young girl was none other than the one Janice mentioned in her letter, the one to claimed to have been her deceased friend reborn and given eternal life.

Wasting no time the trio chased after the girl. It wasn't long till they found themselves and the ship's deck with two boats with a small amount of people. They managed to spot Melina run up to Whistler and hide behind him was clinging tightly onto the bottom of his jacket with her face buried in his back. Whistler glanced down at the girl with a small frown as he gently laid his hand on top of her head before turning his attention to the trio before him.

"Ah, professor, I see you met my adopted daughter Melina. She's quite shy so I apologize if she unintentionally comes off as rude." he said.

Herminia did not reply but only instead simply hummed before turning her attention to the boats; she found it strange how the man had chosen to name his adoptive daughter after his deceased daughter. It puzzled her because while she knew the possibility of him wanting to honor his daughter's memory, she also knew that the events were to closely together and logically naming his daughter Melina would be the last thing Whistler would want to do. Deciding to push those thoughts to the side she directed her attention to the other people helping lower the boats, managing to spot the woman in the dark green dress, the red-headed man, the sailor captain, and the black-bearded man along with a round woman wearing a yellow dress, an old an in explorer clothes, and a young girl with blonde hair and brown eyes.

Luke immediately gasped when he spotted the black-bearded man before exclaiming "Hey, you're the one that said the sign was the correct answer! How did you figure out you were wrong and why didn't you tell anyone else?"

The man sneered as he continued working the boat's crank and replied "I easily knew the sign was wrong. I just wanted to send a large majority of people the wrong way. The less contestants there are, the less competition I'll have to win eternal life."

The young boy snarled and was about to comment until he felt a hand gently press down on his shoulder. He looked up to see Herminia shaking her head with her stern eyes focused on him, silently telling him that the man wasn't worth their time. He let out a sigh in attempt to recompose himself before walking over to the other group of people lowering the boat. It wasn't long until the boats floated on top of the water and the small people amount of people climbing down the ladders to get in them.

Janice was about put her foot on the ladder until she noticed Melina standing in the corner. Worried for her friend she walked over to the young girl and knelt down before her with a small yet kind smile.

"Come on, Melina. We need to get in the boat." she said as she reached out to grasp her hand.

But much to her surprise the dirty-blonde-headed girl jerked out of her grasp and exclaimed in a hushed whisper "Why did you bring her? Why did you bring the professor? She mustn't win this game, she'll ruin everything! Are you Melina's friend her not?"

Janice frowned upon hearing this before gently grasping the young girl's hand and making her way over to the ladder. But unaware to either of them, Herminia managed to witness the whole thing and climbed down to the boats before she got spotted. With the new information, her suspicions about the mysterious girl only grew. She knew that the girl and Descole had to be connected but unfortunately due to the lack of clues, she decided to push her suspicions aside in order to insure the safety of her son.

Once everyone managed to get into the boats, Herminia along with the black-bearded man, the explorer, and the sailor captain grabbed ahold of the oars and began rowing away from the ship. Luke stared around in confusion, wondering why everyone was heading out to sea when they were supposed to be searching for the largest crown they could see. He spoke up, asking if they were trying to pull off an escape attempt only to for Herminia to reinsure they were still solving the puzzle.

"You were the one that shouted out the ship's name, yet you still don't get it." the dirty-blonde headed girl with brown eyes commented with a raised brow.

Herminia hummed as she silently studied the young girl, noticing she had her hair in a braid with a red bow and was wearing a white blouse with a red tie, a yellow skirt, and brown boots. She was a little surprise that it reminded her of the attire she wore back when she was eight and smiled slightly at the nostalgic memory. But that smile faded into a frown when she remembered how a young Descole saved from the men in black coats. She found it hard to believe that the kind and young brave boy she encountered hiding in a tree as a child grew up to be the very man that was now threatening her child.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, the professor began to say "Um, excuse me Ms..."

She paused for a moment, allowing the girl to introduce herself as Amelia before continuing, "Amelia, how did you come to be at the theater tonight?"

"Yes, a school girl like you couldn't afford a ticket like that. It cost us a fortune." the explorer chimed in.

Amelia remained silent, unsure what to answer until much to her surprise, Mr. Whistler answered for her. He explained how he had been searching for talented girls all over the country to honor Melina's memory since she was a very talented girl herself. He had searched until he discovered Amelia who was a British Chess Champion and decided to invite her so she could experience the music he had composed.

Herminia remained silent until she noticed Janice glancing down at her hands that were tightly clasped together as she took in shaky breaths with what seemed to be sadness and regret filling her eyes.

In an attempt to comfort her, the brown-headed woman asked "Janice, are you still worried for my son Alfendi?"

Janice head shot up immediately with a small gasp, greeted with the sight of the professor turned toward her with a comforting smile. Knowing she couldn't hide her feelings, she nodded her head with a sigh. It saddened her that by asking for the professor's help she only managed to endanger Alfendi's life. She never did regret seeking the professor's help, especially with the discovery of her supposedly reborn friend Melina. But she still wished she had known about the danger show she could have warned the woman ahead of time and possibly prevent the kidnapping of her son.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt someone grasp her hands. She looked down to see Herminia had held both her hands in her grasp while using her other hand to gently pat them in a motherly manner.

"I know things maybe terrifying at the moment but I will do all in my power to make things right. After all it is the ladylike thing to do." Herminia insured with a smile.

Janice couldn't help but smile back; her sadness and regrets fading away a bit. But at that moment, she jumped a bit in surprise when she heard Luke shout as he spun his body around and scramble to the edge of the boat.

"Professor, look!" the young boy exclaimed as he jabbed his index finger toward the ship, revealing that it was designed like a crown, "The largest crown we could see was the ship all along!"

Before Herminia could comment, Descole's voice filled the air, congratulating the people in the boats for solving the puzzle and getting one step closer to achieving eternal life. Without warning gold bars raised up on the sides of the ship, knocking away the oars and preventing anyone from getting out of the boats. On the back of the boats emerged two large engines that blazed to life and began zooming through the water. Everyone was stunned about the development but those feelings transformed into fear when an explosion went off on the ship, causing a series of explosions to destroy the ship and consume it in a ball of fire.

The professor's eyes widened in horror until she heard Luke's terrified yell. Thinking fast she quickly grabbed him and firmly wrapped her arms around his head and buried his head in her chest, sheltering his view from the exploding ship. She turned her head toward Melina and shouted for her, prompting the red-headed woman to see Melina whimpering with her eyes squeezed shut before she followed the professor's example by leaning over the young girl and wrapping her arms around her head to keep her firmly pressed against her own chest.

Herminia clenched her teeth tightly as she watched the fiery embers dance across the sky, insuring that anyone on board would have not escaped its grasp. It angered her that once again Descole took away innocent lives in order to continue his plan to find the ancient Azran Kingdom. She hated the masked man with every fiber of her being but she also hated that a part of her felt guilty for carrying such hatred toward him. She glanced down at Luke who was shaking slightly in her grasp before tightening it slightly; reasoning to herself that despite the guilt she felt, she was still right to despise the pain that had caused so much pain to accomplish his own goals.

Meanwhile Descole took in deep breaths as his eye watched the fish swimming out side of the porthole. He was impressed that Herminia never caught onto the fact that he had never killed any of the people that failed the puzzles. He glanced at the porthole once more to see the dark submarine growing smaller and smaller in the distance as he headed back to land. He was impressed his act had gone so far without a hitch, not only to continue keep up the cruel image he had built to hide from his sister but also to sneakily guide the unknowing pawn for his plan.

Descole tore the gaze of his crimson-like eyes away from the window and down at his nephew lying unconscious on his lap. He recalled how surprised the young boy was when he had held a rag drenched in chloroform against his mouth to cause him to slip into slumber not only to transport him to submarine easier but also to keep him from catching anymore details that could lead to him discovering his true identity.

"I guess with you unconscious like this I can now speak my mind more freely." Descole spoke up, not caring that his words fell upon deaf ears, "It's impressive that you're proving to be as keen as your mother and maybe even your father as well. But I'm worried about the obsession you developed about the criminal mind. It's hard to believe the same baby I held in my arms ten years ago is you."

The masked man sighed as he unknowingly brushed a few stray bangs out of the young boy's face.

"I wish I could have been a better uncle to you. In fact I wish I could have been a better brother to your mother. But this has to be done for your safety. Sadly this is knowledge I will never allow you or your mother to possess. If I must paint myself as the typical storybook villain then so be it, as long as it keeps Herminia away from the Azran Legacy. The last thing I want her to do is endure suffering when that was the very thing I wanted to avoid the day I gave her up. She's much happier the way she is now." he finished.

But unknown to him, Alfendi was able to recover slightly from the chloroform. The young boy quietly ground as he cracked open his eyes slightly; unfortunately due to his mind being drowsy his surroundings were blurry. He tried to sit up but his body was sluggish and refused to move. He stopped attempting to move when he heard Descole mention how he didn't want Herminia to suffer. This confused him but he didn't have much time to think about it as he found himself slipping back into unconsciousness once more.

Back in London, Emmett slammed his foot on the brake harshly, causing his yellow scooter to screech to a halt and leave tire marks on the side walk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his notebook as he flipped to the page where he had written down an address. His brown eyes glanced at the sign of the house to see he had indeed found the house he was searching for. Without a word he pulled off his white helmet and rested it on the handle of his scooter; shaking his head to get his shaggy and slightly soaked from the rain out of his eyes.

Wanting to get out of the rain as quickly, Emmett ran up to the door and rang the doorbell. Within seconds the door opened up to reveal a blonde-headed woman in a pink dress with a white jacket and a brown-headed man in a tan suit.

"Excuse me, who are you?" the man asked with his eyes narrowed slightly.

Emmett immediately noticed that the couple were suspicious of a stranger that had appeared at their doorstep. With a friendly smile to show he meant no harm as he grabbed his pencil and got ready to write down in his notebook.

"My name is Emmett Altava." he greeted, "I'm Professor Layton's assistant, you most likely heard of her in the newspaper for discovering the Golden Garden in Misthallery."

When he saw the married couple nod their heads, confirming they did indeed knew who the professor was, he continued "The professor has sent me here to ask questions concerning your missing daughter. Is it true that the police haven't heard anything about your daughter's whereabouts?"

Upon hearing this, the blonde-headed woman pressed her hand against her mouth as she sobbed a bit, prompting her husband to wrap his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her despite his face being painted with the expression as well. Emmett frowned as he wrote down all the details the married couple gave him. It saddened to her him how the girl disappeared one day while she was playing.

"She was a bright girl, she couldn't have wandered off far. Why would she disappear without a word?" the woman continued to sob.

The assistant flinched slightly as the memory of Descole crying in grief when he believed he had killed his own daughter filled his mind. His hand clenched around the pencil slightly, wishing that he could impart his knowledge that he secretly spared the young girl to the masked man but he knew he couldn't otherwise he could risk her safety once more. The last thing he wanted was for Bronev to discover his secret and hunt the girl down much like he had his agents did with his own children.

Deciding to push away the negative thoughts, Emmett directed his attention back to the matter at hand and decided to ask "Is there a picture of your daughter I can see?"

The woman nodded her headed before walking in the house and plucking a picture frame off the top of a fireplace. She paused for a moment to hug the picture against her chest to calm herself down a bit before walking over to Emmett and handing him the picture. His brown eyes focus on the picture of the young girl, studying every detail in order to make sure he wouldn't forget. After a few minutes he smiled as he handed back the picture and placed his notebook back into his jacket's pocket.

"Don't worry, I promise you that we'll find your daughter." he insured with a wink.

With that said he turned around and began heading back to his scooter.

 _"Well I got the information the professor wanted. I just hope she's doing alright back with Luke and Alfendi."_ Emmett thought to himself.


	38. Shining Admiration

Chapter 38

Janice slowly blinked open her eyes as she began to stir upon feeling the ocean spray slightly hit her face. She groaned slightly as she wiped the water off her face and stretched a bit; her back had grown sore from constantly sitting in the same position for hours. She glanced down to see Melina sleeping peacefully on her lap but slightly shivering due to the blanket she was using for warmth had fallen off of her. The red-headed woman smiled as she grabbed the fallen blanket and pulled it back over her friend's body. She could feel her heart pound softly at the sight of the young girl snuggling closer to her. In a way, Janice was almost felt as motherly as Herminia in that moment. Instantly remembering the professor, her brown eyes looked up to see the woman sound asleep.

Janice felt happy at how peacefully the brown-headed woman seemed to be in her sleep with Luke slumped over on her shoulder. After Alfendi was kidnapped by Descole, she was worried that Herminia wouldn't get any sleep due to constantly worrying for her son. Her smile slightly faded when her thoughts drifted to Descole and his game of eternal life. She squeezed her eyes shut as her mind was filled with guilt, unaware that unconsciously her free hand had squeezed tightly around her necklace. She was lost swirling in her lost until she heard a groan. She lifted up her head to see Luke sitting up as he rubbed his tired eyes with a yawn.

"Luke, you're up already?" Janice asked in surprise but not to loudly as to not disturb the other sleeping passengers.

The young boy didn't respond for a moment as he looked around, seeing he and Janice were the only ones awake on the boat.

Figuring he was being rude with a lack of a response, he replied "Yeah, back in London I usually got up early so I could be ready for when the professor arrived to her office at the university. She did teach me that a true gentleman is always ready to provide any assistance."

The red-headed woman giggled slightly at this response before asking "Now are you doing this because the professor is a true lady herself?"

Much to her surprise, Luke shock his head before stating in a proud tone that even if Herminia had been born a gentleman he would still be just as loyal. Janice couldn't help but silently agree with the young boy. There was an aspect in the professor that she couldn't help but admire, and that was her kindness. Deciding to explore the thought further, Janice asked Luke how he would imagine things would be different had Herminia been the opposite gender.  
Luke was taken back by the question presented before him, but deep down he was curious about it as well. His eyes glanced up to the sky as his foot tapped the floor in thought.

"Well, I'd imagine if the professor were a gentleman instead of a lady, the motherly aspect would be gone since Alfendi may or may not exist in that scenario. Perhaps even a bit more strict but not too much, just slightly when it comes to terms of the qualities of a gentleman." he began as a smile spread across his face and continued, "But other than that I can still see the professor being courageous, a parental figure and mentor, someone who upholds the qualities of manners, and a good friend."

He turned his attention to Janice to see him smiling brightly as his words; he could see she admired the professor just as much as he. But he did find it a little strange why she would ask such a curious question when she should know the answer just from her time as Herminia's student. After all he knew that almost anyone that had spent time with Herminia was able to pick up her qualities from interactions. A part of the young boy wondered if there was a reason for this but quickly pushed it aside, deciding that he was simply overreacting and Janice was only presenting him a hypothetical question. Luke was awakened from his thoughts when his eyes got glance of something, prompting Janice to turn around to see what he was staring at. Not too far off in the distance, they could see thei boat was headed toward a small island with bright greenery.

Back with Emmett, his brown eyes carefully studying all the artifacts laid out carefully in Dr. Schrader's office. His mind was filled with wonder at all the discoveries Herminia's mentor had made over the years. He wanted so badly to sit down and ask about each artifact, learning the tales behind them and hoping they were just as amazing as some adventures he heard Herminia had in her lifetime. But as much as he hated to admit it, his happiness and wonder was easily overshadowed by his duty and loyalty. With a sigh as he tried to ignore his guilty conscious, Emmett walked over to a table with a stone tablet lying on top of it.

"Dr. Schrader, I've never seen an artefact like this before." the brown-headed man lied as he resisted the urge to bite his tongue, "Is this from the mysterious kingdom of Ambrosia."

The doctor who had been sorting threw a few maps turned toward the assistant and focused on that tablet.

"As yeah, that tablet is supposedly from Ambrosia." he explained as he walked over to the table, "One of the only souvenirs I have left from that expedition. Falson poured his life in discovering the kingdom of eternal life so it was reasonable that he took most of our research we had gathered from the site. I did try to recover them when I heard he had gone missing and his daughter Melody was left in charge but when I went to her home, I only discovered almost everything aside from the furniture had been cleaned out. I suppose she went out to go find him, I only hope she succeeded after all these years."

Emmett couldn't prevent the heartbroken and guilt-filled frown from forming on his face upon being reminded of his past. It nearly broke his heart seeing so many people over the years so hopeful that the father and daughter duo where still alive when he knew the bitter truth. In attempt to hide his guilt, Emmett quickly pulled out his camera and started taking pictures of the tablet. Much to his relief, Dr. Schrader didn't question his actions as he walked back over to his desk. He easily knew that the doctor believed he was only simply taking pictures for Herminia to use as reference. The assistant took one last photo before placing his camera back in his bag, fully intending to send his photos to Targent later on.

Emmett turned toward the doctor, about to open his mouth until he spotted something that made his heart nearly stop. There on Dr. Schrader's desk was Herminia when she was still a student at the university, smiling brightly with Clark and Clarence at her side.

"Dr. Schrader, is that really a picture of the professor?" Emmett asked in surprise as he picked up the frame.

Dr. Schrader paused in his actions for a few actions for few moments, chuckling slightly when he saw the picture. He found it amazing that after their first meeting that day in his class, the woman had proven to him over and over again how determined she is to reach her goals. With a smile, the gray-headed man began explaining how the picture was taken a few months before Clarence had proposed.  
Emmett bit his lip slightly as the doctor's tale seemed like only a series of mutters and whispers in his ears; his brown eyes carefully studying the picture in his hands. The guilt that he wanted to desperately ignore had risen up in his mind again, being reminded that the happy and kind woman present in the picture was one he would have to betray in the end.

He swallowed a large lump that managed to form in his throat the moment his eyes settled upon Clarence. The brown-headed man was surprised when he felt a bit of jealously stir up within him from seeing the young man smiling happily next to the woman he had developed feelings for. No matter how much he fought against it, Emmett always found himself growing fonder of the professor. His cheeks blushed red slightly at the thought of the kind yet lady like smile she always greeted him with, much like the one painted on her face in the picture he held.

Emmett was lost in his thoughts until he heard Dr. Schrader ask out of concern "My word! Emmett, are you quite alright? You're face is turning redder by the second, are you overheating from sickness?"

The assistant yelped in surprise and embarrassment the moment he heard the doctor's words. Acting on reflexes only he quickly put down the picture frame and ran one of his hands through his brown hair frantically, chuckling as he tried to hide his nervousness that was threatening to appear in his large grin. Fortunately much to his relief, the sound of the news reporter on the television had gained their attention. The two men walked over to the television, surprised when they heard the news reporter mention the Crown Petone.

"The Crown Petone, isn't that the theater Layton and the boys went to investigate?" the gray-headed man asked in surprise.

But he never got his answer, instead he only receive a hand held out in front of his face by Emmett as he continued to listening to the report.  
Emmett's eyes widen when he heard that the theater had disappeared and while a majority of the audience members were discovered in submarines that arrived on shore, a small number of people were still missing. His teeth clenched together tightly when he heard some people mention that they were forced into playing a game for eternal life which was held by a strange masked man that claimed a young boy as his hostage. Emmett had no doubt in his mind that mind was Descole and that the hostage he took had to been either Luke or Alfendi to use as leverage against Herminia.

Without any second thoughts, the man grunted in frustration before quickly dashing over to the map table. He quickly sorted through the maps until he found one that had paths charted out to the middle of the ocean, yet no signs of any land in that area. The assistant spun on his heal, quickly confirming that the map in his hands was the one that lead to Ambrosia's coordinates. The moment the doctor revealed his choice to be correct, Emmett quickly ran out of the office whilst shouting out a frantic goodbye toward Dr. Schrader, not even giving doctor a chance to finish his sentence as he slammed the door behind him. He didn't care about what the doctor had to say, the mystery of Ambrosia, or even his duty to retrieve information for Bronev. All that mattered to him at the moment was helping Herminia. With determination filling him, he quickly got on his scooter and sped off, wanting to reach his destination as quickly as possible.

Alfendi groaned as he opened his eyes, ignoring the slight throbbing pain in his head. He groaned as he slowly lifted up his head, trying to remember exactly what happened to him. He blinked his eyes a few times in surprise to discover himself lying on top of a bed in a room with an open balcony and a piano. The young boy grunted as he pushed himself off of the bed and made his way over to the door, wondering where he was and what had happened to his mother. But much to his frustration, he turned the door knob only to discover it was locked from the other side. Alfendi grumbled as he slightly banged his head against the door, the memories of getting kidnapped and taken as a hostage suddenly filling his mind once more.

"Of all the interesting things a masked criminal could do and he picks to lock me up in a room. Hmph, typical." he muttered as he slipped down on the floor his arms firmly folded in anger and slight disappointment.

Seeing he nothing else to do, Alfendi closed his gold eyes as he thought back to those last few words he recalled Descole mention on the submarine. He found it so confusing yet interesting why Descole showed so much malice and caring toward Herminia when logically the two feelings should counteract each other. But much to his annoyance, the young boy was stirred from his thoughts when he heard the sound of the door to his room being unlocked. Alfendi glanced up, brushing his red bangs out of his eyes while doing so as the door opened. He was ready to shout angrily at the person responsible for disturbing his train of thought but immediately clamped his mouth shut when he saw the one who entered the room was none other than Descole.

The masked man stared down at the young boy for a few moments in silence, a little surprised to see him sitting in the floor next to the door. But his surprise quickly vanished when he saw a small smug yet devilish smirk form on his face.

"So the criminal mind returns and to think I was worried I was going to get bored." Alfendi stated with mischievousness shining in his eyes.

Descole refused to let his body flinch upon hearing his nephew make yet another comment about his criminal mind much like he did the previous night. He was already aware that the boy had very keen eyes and good observational skills, so because of that knowledge he refused to give the boy anymore hints to avoid accidentally exposing his identity.

He huffed as he folded his arms over his chest, doing his best to keep up his hateful and cruel façade as he responded "I've only came to make sure you weren't getting into any trouble, boy. After all your mother has already arrived with the others and I need to insure that wretched woman doesn't tend to pull any clever tricks like she tends to usually do."

The masked man nearly held his breath when he didn't receive a response from the young boy, unsure if he had bought his excuse or if he had once again caught onto his act. A few moments of silence passed by as Descole finally let his shoulders relax slightly.

Unfortunately his moment of relief end just as it began when Alfendi finally spoke up "You know for someone my mother supposedly only encountered in Misthallery, you tend to know a lot of things about her."

Descole instantly felt like he had been punched in the gut from his nephew's comment. He quickly spun his back toward him to avoid seeing the mischievous yet cunning grin the boy flashed him as his golden eyes peeked out from his red bangs. He was beginning to become unsure how exactly he was suppose to keep up his villainous appearance if his nephew was able to pick apart each one of his lies. At that moment he snapped his fingers when an idea struck him of a tactic he hadn't tried yet. With a confident smirk, he turned toward the boy, slightly satisfied when he saw the boy grow slightly confused from the sight of his grin.

"I have to admit your observation skills are quite extraordinary, they even dare say rival those of your mother's." he complimented.

Descole couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Alfendi's eyes widened, clearly taken back by his compliment. He was happy to see that his tactic had worked, by complimenting his nephew's skills it had distracted him from observing any further traits and insure that Alfendi wouldn't get any closer to discovering his identity. But he was also happy to use this tactic for another reason, a chance to allow himself to get temporarily closer to part of his family. The brown-headed man couldn't deny it but he yearned to learn more of his nephew and discover more of his good traits aside from his unhealthy obsession with the criminal mind.

Alfendi opened and closed his mouth in silence, unsure exactly how to respond. He hadn't expected the man that kidnapped him to take a sudden interest in his observation skills. While he was curious why the masked man would suddenly spout such a compliment, another part of him felt a sense of pride at the fact of someone admiring an aspect about himself. What confused the boy was that the pride felt much similar to the one he felt when his mother had finally acknowledged his skills. Alfendi remained silent for a few moments before smiling slightly and thanking his captor for the compliment.

Hearing his nephew thank him made Descole's heart almost skip a beat. After having no family and being forced to shove Herminia away fro so many years, it felt nice to finally reconnect a bit to the bond he thought was long gone with the death of his wife and daughter.

Wanting to learn more, Descole asked "So where did you even gain such skills? My guess would be that your mother had taught you to be more observant."

The young boy glanced down in the floor in slight guilt, while he knew Herminia promised to be a better mother in the future, he still grew a bit saddened at the fact she didn't teach him too many of the skills he had developed to that day. He sighed as he rubbed his arm, his hair changing from crimson red to its original purple shade.

"Mum only taught me some bits." he admitted in a quiet tone, "She may be a grand professor that can solve mysteries with ease, but when it comes to parenting she tends to be on the lacking side. Mum never meant to be neglectful, she made it clear that it was an accidental result of her dedicating too much focus on her work to insure I was taken care of after my dad died in a lab accident. She understands her mistakes now and is doing her best to be a better mother. Since she wasn't around too much, I was more forced to teach myself to become more observant from watching her and reading mystery novels."

Descole was nearly speechless at his nephew's confession; he found it hard believe that Herminia didn't turn out to be too great of a mother. His body tensed slightly when he now understood exactly why Herminia was so angry and heartbroken when he kidnapped Alfendi. He realized that Herminia was wanting to be better mother to her son as a form of redemption and to have her son taken away made it feel like she was falling to stay true to her word.

Before his thoughts could catch up to his mouth, Descole bitterly commented out loud with a chuckle "I suppose my kidnapping of you did not help ease your mother's mind if what you say is true."

Alfendi's head lifted up instantly in surprise, greeted with the sight of the stunned masked man whom caught onto his accidental comment. Within that instant he no longer had any doubts in his mind that Descole was withholding information from him. He even began to wonder if Herminia was hiding secrets as well since he knew if Descole knew more about her than he let on then the reverse would be said for his mother. His thoughts were cut off when he saw the stunned expression vanish from Descole's face only to be replaced by one of frustration.

"I've more important matters to take care of rather than chatting to the son of the woman who has proven to be nothing more than a thorn in my side!" the masked man barked angrily, a little saddened that he was forced to distance himself from his remaining family once more.

He was about to leave the room in huff until he stopped in his tracks when he heard his nephew shout out. His hand rested on the door sill and gripped it tightly, his mind mulling over whether to ignore the young boy or to respond to his uncle instincts. After a few seconds, he sighed as he gave into his instincts and turned his head toward Alfendi. He inhaled deeply through his nose as the boy stared at him with his eyes full of curiosity, a sight that reminded him much of how Herminia often stared at him as a child.

"Before you leave me locked up alone again, I have to ask," Alfendi began in the best calm tone he could gather, "do you understand my mum's feelings? I noticed your voice wavered when you made your comment, almost as if you felt sorry for her."

Silence lingered in the air as the two continued to stare at each other, neither one daring to break the tension they were creating. The purple-headed boy glanced to the ground with a sigh, fearing that the masked man refused to answer his question. But then he was alerted to the sound of the criminal clearing his throat, prompting him to lift up his head and give eye contact once more.

"It annoys me how many answers you're seeking but I suppose that's something you share in common with your mother, no matter what you both always seek out the answer to any puzzle. So I will just leave you with these words, I do understand how your mother feels very much." Descole admitted in a soft tone.

Without another word, Descole left the room and locked the door once more.  
Now alone once more, Alfendi blinked in shock as he stared up at the ceiling. With the information he had received from his captor, he was beginning to understand exactly how Descole's mind worked. But the only question left on his mind was why the masked man seemed to show some form of hidden care toward Herminia. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to piece it together, he wasn't able to come up with an answer. Alfendi groaned as he laid his head against the wall, allowing his thoughts to drift back to his mother.

"Mum, please be safe." he muttered to himself, doing his best to fight back his tears as he began to feel very lonely without her comforting presence in the room with him.


	39. Moment of Peace

Chapter 39

The two boats carrying the remaining players in the game for eternal life finally arrived on shore. Everyone climbed out of the boats without a word, puzzled at where they possibly might be. Taking a few cautious steps, each person searched the beach, trying to gain an idea of their location. All was silent until the man in explorer's clothing gasped loudly, prompting everyone to direct their attention to him.

"It can't be!" the man exclaimed before darting over to a large stone slab.

His body shook with excitement as he fetched a book out of his bag. He only flipped through the pages for a few seconds until he found the one he was seeking.

The man let out a hearty laugh as he proclaimed "It is! This is the symbol of the Kingdom of Ambrosia! If this symbol is here, that means we're actually in Ambrosia right now!"

The people gasped and began muttering about the possibility of the elixir of life being nearby. But as they muttered amongst themselves, Herminia approached the stone slab. Her eyes narrowed with her fingers pressed up against her chin. She did indeed recognize the carving as the symbol of Ambrosia, confirming her suspicions once again that Descole was after the secrets of the Azran. She kept studying the slab until she heard a surprised gasp. Immediately she turned her head toward the man in explorer's clothing as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you till just now." the man commented whilst taking off his hat, "It's a pleasure to finally meet the great Professor Layton I've read so much about in the papers. My name is Marco Brock and I've been researching Ambrosia for many years. While doing research I've often stumbled upon the articles detailing your accomplishments."

"Oh goodie, two book geeks." the woman in the blue dress muttered in a sarcastic tone.

Herminia chose to ignore the woman's comment and focus on the man before her.

"Why thank you. It's quite nice to hear people enjoy my research." she replied with a smile, "I'm sure once this is all over that many people will be quite thrilled to hear your research on Ambrosia."

The two didn't share anymore words as silence filled the air. Suddenly it was broken by the woman in the blue dress pointing out something in the distance. Everyone turned to see, oddly enough, a single white table with an assortment of food and drinks on the beach. All the people approached the table cautiously, wondering why there would be a table waiting for them. Some of the people decided to push away their suspicions as they began grabbing some fruits and wine glasses.  
Luke's eyes carefully studied every single detail on the table; he wasn't sure whether or not the food was a trap left by Descole. It wasn't long until finally he spotted a note.

The young boy picked it up and read "A reward for those still left in the game."

"A reward or a new puzzle perhaps?" Amelia questioned, having grown suspicious after the events she witnessed on the ship.

No one knew how to answer until Melina, much to everyone's surprise, walked to the table without a second thought and ate one of the fruits.

"Well there you have it. Now will we stop questioning this meal and eat! I haven't had anything since yesterday." the black-bearded man grumbled as he poured himself a glass.

Without another word, everyone began getting their share of fruits and drinks.  
Herminia silently munched on her fruit as her thoughts drifted back to Descole. She was stunned that he was heartless enough to blow up a ship full of people, yet caring enough to know that the ones that had arrived to the island hadn't eaten yet. The two sides of the masked man seemed to conflict with each other and she couldn't piece together which side was the man's real self.

For the moment, she decided to push those thoughts aside and focus on her moment of peace.  
Many minutes passed by till everyone began to relax on the beach, waiting for the next puzzle to be revealed. Herminia sighed as she leaned against a tree, staying cool in its shade. Her thoughts were full of concern about Alfendi's state; she wasn't sure if he was devastated or staying calm in the presence of her captor. The professor's fingers tightened slightly around her arm as she felt a brief moment of rage boiling up in her. She wanted to rescue Alfendi as soon as possible, but she wasn't sure how to do it without alerting Descole.

Suddenly she was awakened from her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Her eyes opened to see Janice smiling at her with her hands neatly intertwined in front of her.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, professor." the red-headed woman spoke up, "I was just wondering if I could sit next to you."

Herminia nodded her head with a smile, prompting the young woman to sit down on the rock next to her. The two uttered no words as they gazed out at the ocean, enjoying their temporary peace until the next puzzle revealed itself.  
Janice sighed happily as the sea breeze brushed through her red hair. Despite the tragedies she witnessed created by the game the masked man were forcing them to play, she truly enjoyed being on an adventure with the famous Professor Layton.

She glanced up at the professor to see her once again deep in thought once more. The red-headed woman giggled at the sight, prompting the Herminia to stir from her thoughts and turn her head toward her.

"Finding something funny, Janice?" the thirty-four year-old woman asked.

Janice let out a happy sigh as she replied "Oh I was just thinking about all the things that has happened. It's still a terrible thing that happened with Alfendi and this game, but I still enjoy the good moments. Arriving on an island with a mystery all around us, it's just simply amazing. The thought of unraveling a mystery with you is too exciting for me to be sad about it."

Herminia nodded her head before commenting "I have to agree with you some, Janice. The fact were in one of the ancient kingdoms of the Azran is quite amazing. Who knows what puzzles and ruins lie in wait."

"Of course puzzles and ruins would be what catches your attention." the red-headed woman giggled in reply.

As the two woman chatted amongst themselves, Luke walked upon the beach, examining different seashells. He glanced over at Melina to see the young girl sitting at the edge of the shore, staring somberly out at the sea. Wanting to try to cheer her up, he picked up one of the shells and ran over to her. But when he tried to give her the shell, much to his shock, the blonde-headed girl flinched away from him with a whine.

"Hey it's okay." he insured as he moved to the other side of her and held the shell against his ear, "People say if you hold the shell like this, you can hear the ocean. Of course I could never get it to work."

The young girl's blue eyes glanced up as she muttered softly "I can hear it."

Luke's mouth dropped open in shock. Before he could ask the girl what she meant, the girl began to hum a lovely little melody. The music flowed through the air, each note filled with love and care. When the song ended, the young boy couldn't help but compliment the girl for her song. He was happy to see a bright smile on Melina's face when she explained that the sea had taught her the song. Unfortunately he noticed the smile quickly disappeared when the sound of howling reached their ears. The young apprentice turned toward the forest, searching for source of the howling.

His brown eyes squinted as he noticed a few darks shapes running past the trees. Growing worried, he turned around to tell Melina that they should go back to the others only to find that she was no longer there. Luke gasped in fear before running over to Oswald Whistler.

"Mr. Whistler, Melina is gone!" he exclaimed.

Though the boy's confusion grew when the orchestrator remained calm with a stern look in his eyes as he stated that the young girl had only ran off to play and would be back. He didn't understand how the man wasn't the least bit worried for his adoptive daughter, especially since they were in the middle of a deadly game. Suddenly the sound of Descole's voice filled the air, startling everyone from their temporary moment of peace.  
Herminia narrowed her eyes upon hearing the masked man's voice once more, reminding her of the situation her son was still in as Descole informed everyone that their break was over.

Suddenly, without warning, she heard the sound of Luke screaming. She quickly turned to see both Luke and Mr. Whistler fleeing from a small pack of wolves. Everyone fled the beach except for Herminia, Luke, and Janice. The professor clenched her fists as she took a few cautious steps back along with her two companions. She saw Luke tried to use his talent to communicate to the wolves in an attempt to make them not attack, unfortunately the wolves did not understand him. She knew instantly that Descole had to be using the devices attached to their ears to control them.

Seeing no other way to deal with their current peril, the brown-headed quickly scooped up some sand and threw it at the wolves, temporarily blinding them. Taking advantage of the distraction, the three quickly fled into the forest. They kept running, not daring to look back at the wolves pursuing them until finally they reached a clearing with three wooden cages held up with ropes and a strange castle in the distance.

All of the sudden, Descole's voice echoed through the air once more as he announced "Puzzle 003, you must all find your way across the river and reach the castle."

"But first we must deal with the wolves." Herminia stated in a stern tone, now realizing why the masked man had sent the pack after them.

Her brown eyes glanced around at her surroundings, trying to piece together the solution to the puzzle. She noticed one group of the remaining contestants grabbed ahold the rope holding up one of the cages, intending to trap the wolves in the cage. The professor closed her eyes deep in thought, knowing that solution was the wrong one. The wolves were much too fast to be easily trapped within the wooden cage. Yet the thirty-four year-old knew the cages were still important otherwise Descole wouldn't have set them up. She thought about the puzzle until finally the solution struck her.

"I've got it. Luke, Janice, help me set up this cage." she commanded.

The two nodded their heads in reply before helping the professor get ahold of the group.  
The third group of the contestants intended to drop the cage on the wolves as well. But before they could drop the cage, Amelia noticed how Herminia and her companions were standing underneath the hanging cage.

Realizing that was the correct solution, the young girl shouted "Wait, we need to move farther away."

Deciding to follow the girl's suggestion, the group moved where they were now standing underneath their own cage. With everything set up, the three groups finally released the ropes, causing the cages to drop. Like Herminia predicted, the wolves managed to easily dodge the first group's cage. Out of fear, the first group of contestants quickly climbed up on the cage to protect themselves from the wolves, one of them being none other than Mr. Whistler.

Seeing they were trapped in the cage, the woman in the blue dress bitterly remarked "And exactly how was trapping ourselves is suppose to help us?

Amelia simply pointed toward Herminia's group, showing how they had lifted up the cage and began walking in the same pace.  
The woman in the blue dressed blinked in shock that professor had solved another puzzle. She found it hard to believe that a woman could prove capable of easily solving the puzzles.

With a humph, she thought to herself _"I can be as smart as her if I wanted to, smarter even. Once I win this_ game _, that should be able to knock_ _both her and that stupid_ _hat of hers down a few pegs."_

Without another word she helped her companions lift up the cage and carry it at the same pace in order to cross the river.  
Herminia kept carrying the cage until, unfortunately, she stumbled with her footing. The professor yelped whilst stumbling forward along with Janice and Luke. Her eyes widened in fear as the cage flipped over, leaving them unprotected. She quickly turned back to see her fears confirmed, the wolves now had their attention focused on them once more.

"They've spotted us! Run!" she yelled as she scampered onto her feet.

"Please professor, no more running!" Luke groaned as he scampered onto his feet with Janice.

The brown-headed woman turned toward her assistant, stating as she ran "Even both true gentlemen and ladies know when it's time to run!"

Without another word, the three ran deeper into the forest with the wolves trailing closely behind them.

Back at the castle, Alfendi sighed as he dug around room, searching for anything to keep himself preoccupied. He had grown bored of being locked up in the room and wanted something to help him pass the time until Herminia rescued him. He dug through some dresser drawers to find nothing that gained his interest. The ten year-old groaned in annoyance before slamming the drawers closed. But unknown to him, his slam caused a picture frame to fall off the dresser. The young boy flinched upon the picture falling to the floor with a loud clink. Hoping it wasn't broken, he kneeled down and picked up the frame.

Before he could place the picture frame back upon the dresser, he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Alfendi's body instantly froze when he saw none other than Descole and a strange blonde-headed girl in a pink dress standing in the doorway.

Descole glanced between both the young boy and the picture frame. Deciding to ignore the boy's actions unless he showed any signs of escape, he grumbled as he shoved the girl into the room. Despite how much he wanted to, he refused to speak to his nephew in order to prevent giving away anymore hints to his identity. Without a single word, he slammed the door closed and locked it. He was about to leave until he paused; he wasn't sure why Alfendi was trying to pick up a fallen picture frame. Wanting to make sure that the ten year-old wasn't trying to attempt an escape, he pressed his ear against the door in order to listen in on the children's discussion.

Alfendi raised a brow in both confusion and interest, studying the appearance of the young girl. She seemed normal to him, but he noticed how the girl had a strange somber look in her eyes.

Deciding to get answers, he asked "So why did that guy stuff you in here too?"

Melina glanced at the floor as she answered "He said you could use the company. He told me if you have someone to talk to then you won't be trying to ask him ridiculous questions."

The purple-headed boy raised his brows higher in interest. He easily figured that Descole was cutting off communication with him in order to prevent his mystery from getting out. He couldn't help but grin to himself, knowing the masked man made a wise choice since he was easily putting together the pieces of his little puzzle.

After a few moments of silence he finally shrugged his shoulders with a reply "Well I suppose it'll keep me from being constantly bored in this room."

Remembering the picture frame he still held in his hands, Alfendi was about to put the picture back up until he found it snatched from his hands. He quickly turned to see the young girl grasping the frame tightly as her body shook a bit. In the frame held a picture of Maria Whistler, smiling brightly after the end of one of her performances with her daughter happily giving her a bouquet of flowers.

Melina smiled sadly at the picture as she spoke "I never told daddy this, but I was with mommy the day she left."

_A young Melina laughed happily alongside her mother. They had just finished shopping for clothes and were headed to a restaurant to eat. It wasn't long till they got a waiter and were sat at a table for two. Melina was about to tell her mother what she wished to eat until she spotted a flower salesman through the window. Wanting to get her mother a flower, she begged for money in order to purchase the flower. Much to her happiness, her mother gave her the amount she needed. Melina didn't waste any time dashing outside and buying a purple flower. But when she returned to the restaurant, she froze in fear and confusion when she saw a strange man with dirty-blonde hair and beard and wearing sunglasses sitting at the table with her mother._

_"Mrs. Whistler, my informants tell me that you have a great interest in the tale of Ambrosia, so much so that you wish to preform the 'Song of the Sea' in a future performance." the man stated in a stern and threatening tone._

_Maria pursed her lips before she replied "I am, but I don't see why that's important to you Mr. Bronev."_

_Bronev neatly folded his hands together and leaned forward, allowing his crimson like eyes to peek over his sunglasses._

_"I have a strong interest in that song Mrs. Whistler, so much to the point that I cannot allow anyone else to hear that song." he said, his tone deepening with the last few words._

_The blonde-headed woman grew nervous before directing her attention toward the approaching waiter. She formed a small smile of gratitude as the waiter placed a cup before her and poured tea into it. Once the waiter was gone, her smile vanished as her green eyes focused back toward the man before her. Maria's finger stiffened a bit as she lifted up the cup. She didn't know why but she felt a wave of unease and dark intent emitting from the man._

_"Well I still intend to preform it. There's nothing you can do to stop me." she replied before taking a long sip of her tea._

_Seeing the woman had taken a drink, a sly grin formed on Bronev's face, prompting the blonde-headed woman to grow frightful._

_"On the contrary, Mrs. Whistler," he began as he stood up from the table, "I already have."_

_Without another word, he left the table; his grin never leaving his face.  
Melina was confused about what the man was talking about until she heard a loud smash. She spun around to see her mother slumped over on the table with her tea cup spilt. Out of worry, she started shouting for her mother and shaking her, earning the entire restaurant's attention. But no matter what she did, her mother did not awaken._

Alfendi's yellow eyes were wide in shock. He was surprised to learn the girl had witnessed her mother die before her very eyes. He was able to easily deduce that the man Melina saw Maria speaking to had poisoned her tea through the means of the waiter, but he couldn't understand what the man seeked to gain by preventing the woman from singing the song.  
Descole's heart nearly stopped when he heard the young girl's confession. He had always known that Maria Whistler was killed by poison, but he never knew it was through Targent. He clenched his teeth tightly in anger; he knew Bronev only took the woman's life so that he would lose a clue to unlocking the Azran legacy. He was very fortunate his biological father didn't realize that he required more than just the song to discover Ambrosia, but guilt kept filling his heart that another innocent life had been claimed by Targent, just like his wife and daughter's was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was greatly inspired by "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" for Maria's death.


End file.
